Joburg CBD foot patrol seizes R1m drugs

Police threw two stun grenades outside the Bree Street taxi rank on Wednesday when crowds got too close to almost R1 million worth of seized narcotics on the tarmac.

The city’s Operation Festive Season foot patrol was in progress as members of the Johannesburg metro police department, Tactical Response Team and the defence force patrolled the taxi ranks of Joburg.

Police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini said the officers on patrol noticed that a “few Nigerian shops began to close their shops very quickly”.

All the shopowners fled, but about R1m worth of ephedrine (used to make the drug cat) concealed in a mealie bag, a sword and compressed dagga was found in the shops, he said.

The crowd had gathered around the confiscated drugs sitting on the tarmac. The police became agitated as the crowd edged closer. Two deafening explosions sounded, and the noise sent waves of panic through the group of curious onlookers.

The crowd dispersed, with people running in all directions. Many ran across the midday Bree Street traffic.

In the ensuing mayhem, the police apprehended a Nigerian man and found a wad of R100 notes in his pocket. Local street vendors claimed he owned one of the stores in question.

Dlamini said that while the police were loading the goods, a man believed to be one of the shopowners approached them and offered a bribe.

“He was arrested on the spot.”

He also said the missing shopowners were suspected of using their shops for criminal activities, including drug dealing.

The police recovered about 3 000 fake DVDs, and cellphones they believe to be stolen.

“We are patrolling the whole city and continuing our operations to clean up the taxi ranks well beyond the festive season,” Dlamini said.

The streets looked like a military coup was in progress, with rifle-wielding members of the SANDF in full military uniform continuing to raid the shops. But their green-and-brown military uniform did little to camouflage them in the busy metropolis.

“We also have undercover police at all the hotspots to respond quickly to crime scenes and identify criminals,” said Dlamini.

The Tactical Reaction Unit was far more discreet, changing their Robocop-like battle gear, knee pads and helmets for civilian clothes.

“They will never see us coming,” said one officer, with his pistol tucked firmly in the back of his jeans.

Over the past week, foot patrols have arrested 26 men suspected of armed robberies, two for hijacking vehicles, 87 for possession of drugs with a street value of R150 000, and three for burglary of businesses.

Eleven handguns (9mm pistols) and 64 knives suspected to have been used for street and business robberies have been seized, as well as 4 000 counterfeit DVD and CDs. - The Star