More Eden Cluster drug busts in Knysna
KNYSNA - Police continue to make inroads into drug abuse and drug trafficking, with four more suspects arrested in Knysna during the past weekend.
All of the arrests took place on Saturday 14 August at the hands of the rural flying squad in the Eden Cluster. "At about 17:20 [on Saturday] the team patrolled the N2 highway just outside Knysna where they noticed two men behaving strangely when police approached a local hiking spot," said Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Christopher Spies. "The members proceeded with a search of the men when small quantities of tik were found in their possession." Police confiscated the drugs and arrested the suspects, aged 29 and 33, on charges of possession of drugs. Later that day, police searched the premises of a business in Knysna's Main Street, acting upon information received about drugs being used there. Eight bags of dagga were found and confiscated. "Two men, aged 27 and 33, were positively linked to the find. They were subsequently arrested on charges of dealing in drugs." All four of the arrested individuals are expected to appear in the Knysna Magistrate's Court this week on the aforementioned charges.
These were the ninth and 10th busts in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay that formed part of an intensive police campaign since the start of June. In the 10 busts, at least 13 suspects have been arrested and charged with various offences, varying from possession of drugs and dealing in drugs to cultivation of drugs. The most commonly confiscated drug has been tik, which featured in five of the 10 busts, with Mandrax and marijuana appearing in three. There has also been one confiscation of magic mushrooms.
The largest bust occurred on 15 June in Plett where 1 786 tablets of Mandrax were found in the home of a 48-year-old Kwanokuthula resident. The drugs were estimated to hold a street value of R90 000 and the suspect was arrested for dealing in drugs. Another large bust occurred on 17 June when police confiscated 446 grams of magic mushrooms at a house in Gordon Street, Knysna. The drugs hold an estimated worth of R46 000 and a 36-year-old suspect was arrested for the cultivation of drugs.