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Officers arrest a woman found with six bags of tik and R600 on a street corner near a house that was raided. Photo: Matthew Jordaan
“No, you can’t have the money. It’s drug money. Your mother’s going to jail, she’s a drug dealer.”
That was the response of a metro police officer after being asked by the daughter of a woman arrested in Retreat for possession of tik whether she could keep her mother’s money.
The arrest of the 38-year-old mother was one of three made as a festive season readiness two-day operation got under way to clamp down on drug dens in gang-infested areas.
Metro police officers were joined by members of the K-9 unit, tactical response team and drug abuse unit who carried out raids in Retreat and Hanover Park.
Spokesman Nowellen Petersen said there was a link between gangs and drugs.
While searching the first suspected drug den at 104 Komlossy Street in Cafda, Retreat, police noted a woman acting suspiciously on a nearby street corner.
The woman attempted to dispose of drugs, but was caught. She was found in possession of about R600 and six packets of tik.
In the home, believed to be linked to the Mongrels gang, a 25-year-old woman was arrested after four packets of tik, several tik lollies and an undisclosed amount of cash were found. The illegal substances were found in the woman’s room.
Another arrest was made at a second alleged drug house believed to be owned by the Derwent Kids gang in Derwent Court, Hanover Park.
To gain access, police broke through a cast concrete wall. They found 48 packets of tik in a flat, and arrested a man believed to be in his 40s. According to police records, the man was a repeat offender.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the second den was believed to be council-owned. He said all evidence found on such property would be used to create a case for evictions.
“There are lots of good people on the waiting list, so we want all the bad out. We will target specific properties where gangs operate out of council houses.”
Smith
said the city, with R2m in financial backing from the provincial government, was set to establish a gang task force. Members of the metro police would be head-hunted and additional members employed to stamp out gangsterism, he said.
“With continuous gang violence over the past six months, we have seen that we cannot just rely on SAPS, so we are creating our own… intelligence-driven task force.
“They’ll go after gangs, find their members and we will cut off access to their income. We’ll then manage data to build up cases so that we can rid our communities of all anti-social and criminal behaviour.”
janis.kinnear@inl.co.za – Cape Argus
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Tik squad aims at gangs’ festive trade