Police hunt for owners of drug lab

National police commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, vowed yesterday the police would “choke the supply of drugs” in communities and arrest all those who continue manufacturing them.

This is in the wake of the police’s discovery of a drug laboratory in the early hours of yesterday morning in a house in Orlando West, Soweto. There was no one in the house and no arrests have been made.

Sitole said that collaborative work between residents and the police had led to the breakthrough as well as a number of arrests for drug-related crimes in Orlando in the past financial year.

“Arresting peddlers and runners is important, but we cannot overemphasise the even greater need to arrest and close down the manufacturers and suppliers.

“Our members are still combing the scene for more evidence. At this stage, we have recovered tablets, powder, an unidentified solution and equipment that will undergo forensic processing to confirm identity, description and use.”

This evidence was sufficient to warrant opening a criminal case, he added, appealing to anyone with more details related to this case to give the information to the police. “The house had been abandoned when we arrived ... so we are on the lookout for suspects and need the public to assist us to apprehend them,” he said. – ANA