Sniffed out! K9 ‘Bessie’ puts drug trafficker in doghouse
A POLICE checkpoint on the N7 highway, near the border of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, led to the arrest and successful conviction of a drug dealer, thanks to the keen nose of Namaqualand K9 “Bessie”, a trained narcotics detection dog.
Western Cape police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed that 40-year-old Arnony Saunders was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Rowan Roopnariaa in the Klawer Regional Court on February 17. The conviction follows his arrest during a joint operation involving the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Narcotics unit in Vredendal, the Namaqualand K9 unit, and Provincial Traffic officers.
On September 8, 2022, officers conducted a routine vehicle checkpoint on the N7, stopping a taxi travelling from Cape Town. While searching the vehicle, officers called in K9 Bessie, who immediately responded to a bag near Saunders. Upon closer inspection, officers discovered 100 mandrax tablets and 37 grams of tik hidden inside.
The then 37-year-old Saunders was taken into custody and later charged with dealing in drugs. Throughout the court proceedings, the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Lynette Tubb, remained steadfast under intense cross-examination, with the court deeming her testimony credible and instrumental in securing the conviction.
Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, the Western Cape provincial commissioner, welcomed the sentencing, emphasising the critical role of interprovincial police collaboration in combating drug trafficking along major transport routes.
