Three in court for drugs

THE THREE suspects arrested in an upmarket Kimberley suburb on charges of dealing in drugs and possession of stolen property earlier this week, were granted bail in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Charne Booth, 22, Percy Higgo, 30, and Danie Hanekom, 22, are due back in court on December 11 following their first appearance before Magistrate Dolly Mokoto shortly before court adjourned for lunch yesterday.

The trio are facing two charges and were released on R500 after the prosecution did not oppose their bail application.

While Booth was released from custody on Tuesday after procuring the services of an attorney, Rick Ishmael, Higgo and Hanekom had to wait until yesterday’s appearance to apply for legal aid, before they were able to request their bail for the duration of the trial.

The suspects were arrested early on Monday afternoon after members of the Kimberley SAPS Detectives unit followed up on information received from the Kimberley Neighbourhood Watch, regarding illicit drug dealings in Minerva Gardens.

Their investigation lead them to the four-way stop on the corner of Gerrit Schouten and Jacobus Smit Avenues, at about 2pm on Monday, where they arrested Higgo, who was allegedly found in possession of two halves of a mandrax tablet and a suspected stolen scooter.

Police then proceeded to a house in Minerva Gardens where they found Booth and Hanekom as well as an assortment of drugs and paraphernalia, including dagga, tik, pipes and needles, with an estimated street value of R2 500.

The case was postponed until mid-December for further investigation.