War can’t be won: addict

AS THE portfolio committee on police posed hard-hitting questions to Chatsworth police station’s top brass in their efforts to win the war against drugs, there was scepticism on whether the war could be won.

The Daily News spoke to a Chatsworth car guard, a self-confessed “sugars” user.

He said the committee’s visit would not make any impact because each time police shut down drug shops, called “gullies”, new outlets popped up. “Some of these oues have been selling for 15, 20 or 30 years.”

The 21-year-old said he became an addict three years ago when he experimented with his friends. Unlike other addicts, he said he did not steal.

He said his job as a car guard helped him feed his habit and provided for his mother who depended on him.

He said there was an intricate system of alert signals where lookouts called “score boys” shared information with one other. He said some of them used walkie talkies to communicate.

He pointed to an area about 200m away from the police station. There were six “gullies” there. He said people went to these “shops” to buy sugars, and each shop had a different drug dealer.

“At the moment, a cap costs R15. If you want to buy a whole ‘bomb’ of 100 or 200 caps you will get them for R9 or R7.50 a cap.”

He said in Unit 11, a small blue cap costs about R12, and R13 for a big pink cap. The difference between the caps was the intensity.

He claimed police often received hush money, or “tax”, from dealers.

“They can get charged anything from R100 to R500 depending on the size of the shop. This can happen every day and the money is collected in places where they can’t be seen.”

He added: “The craving can make you kill someone right now and you won’t be afraid. The craving can make you break into someone’s car.”

He said it was very easy to commit crime when you were being overpowered by a craving.