Prieska police dig deep and unearth more than just illegal miners
THE LAW came knocking in Prieska this weekend - and it wasn’t just illegal miners feeling the heat.
According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane, the multi-disciplinary Operation Vala Umgodi team, backed by the Prieska SAPS Crime Prevention unit, swooped in on suspected illegal mining hot spots in the Pixley ka Seme District on Saturday. But what started as a mission to tackle unlawful digging quickly uncovered another layer of crime.
Acting on fresh intelligence, the officers expanded their operation, targeting multiple locations where drugs were allegedly being sold. The result? Three suspects, aged between 35 and 42, were arrested for drug dealing, while another individual, 45, found himself R2,000 poorer after being fined for running an unlicensed liquor operation.
The bust netted drugs with an estimated street value of R48,000, along with confiscated liquor and cash - a clear message that law enforcement is tightening the noose around criminal enterprises operating under the radar.
Sergeant Shemane said the Vala Umgodi team has reaffirmed its commitment to rooting out illicit mining and its criminal offshoots, urging the public to blow the whistle on illegal activities by calling SAPS Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or using the MySAPS app.
