Arrests and seizures as police crackdown on crime in eThekwini
|Published
Durban — Police are clamping down on crime generators in eThekwini.
That was according to eThekwini District SAPS spokesperson Captain Carmen Rhynes, who said that as high-density operations are continuing throughout the District, police are working tirelessly to reduce the generators of contact crimes, through confiscating illegal firearms, drugs and closing illegal taverns.
Rhynes said that on Wednesday night, officers of the eThekwini District, National Intervention Unit, K9 Unit and metropolitan police conducted operations within the Point, Durban Central, uMlazi, Sydenham and Mariannhill policing areas.
She explained that while patrolling in the central business district, police officers stopped a foreign national and requested documentation to verify his status. The man did not have any documents on him and requested the police to accompany him to a bottle store in the Point area.
“Upon entering the manager’s office at the bottle store, another foreign national male was found counting money valued at approximately R110 000. Police officers also found 379 pink and white capsules believed to be ecstasy, with a street value of R22 740. Also found in his office were 32 cellphones, three laptops, three tablets and three passports,” Rhynes said.
She said the 36-year-old was immediately arrested and detained at Point SAPS for possession of drugs and possession of stolen property.
Rhynes said: “Other successes during the operation were the seizure of four gas guns, the detention of six undocumented foreign nationals, confiscation of 98 cartons of illicit cigarettes as well as 56 by-laws and traffic fines issued.”
“An arrest was made for the Contravention of the Second Goods Act and two illegal taverns shut down. A 9mm firearm with six 9mm rounds of ammunition was also found abandoned.”
eThekwini District Commissioner, Major General Makhosazana Victoria Kheswa led the operation.
“We will continue with such operations with the additional backing and support of the National Intervention Team, to ensure we rid ourselves of all criminal elements within eThekwini District. We will not allow criminals to conduct business as usual, hiding behind what appears as legitimate businesses and committing such crimes in our communities. Compliance operations on liquor outlets, undocumented foreign nationals, second-hand goods outlets, as well as tuck shops will be the order of the day. We are committed to decreasing crime in the eThekwini District,” Kheswa said.
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