Crackdown in Hartswater: Cops seize drugs and illegal firearm, 10 suspects arrested

IN A CRACKDOWN on illicit activities in Hartswater, the multi-disciplinary team of Operation Vala Umgodi pounced on identified suspected drug premises on May 13.

The operation, driven by actionable intelligence, led to the confiscation of drugs with an estimated street value of R9,000. The drugs, along with money suspected to be the proceeds of crime, were seized at the Hartswater taxi rank.

Seven individuals, aged between 29 and 32, were arrested on charges of drug possession.

The operation didn’t stop there. Acting on information about the possession of an illegal firearm at a business premises in Hartswater, the team conducted a search and recovered a firearm along with ammunition. The firearm was found to belong to a person who passed away in 2007 and was never reported stolen.

In a subsequent development, a 33-year-old Ethiopian man was arrested for the possession of the illegal firearm and ammunition.

Additionally, two undocumented Malawian men, aged 23 and 24, were also taken into custody during the operation.

All the arrested suspects are expected to make their appearance in the Hartswater Magistrate’s Court in the near future.

The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, praised local community members for their continued support in providing information that led to these arrests, confiscations and the recovery of dangerous weapons.

She also reassured the community that efforts to combat illicit mining and related criminal activities would continue unabated.