Eight arrested as Vala Umgodi targets hot spots in Kimberley and Barkly West

EIGHT suspects were arrested and quantities of tik and mandrax seized as police intensified their clampdown on crime in the Frances Baard District during a series of raids under Operation Vala Umgodi.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Merapelo Pilane said the province-wide operation, which targets illegal mining and related crimes, recently saw law enforcement teams swoop on hot spots in and around Kimberley and Barkly West.

During a search of the notorious Beefmaster illegal mining site, officers uncovered a stash of abandoned dagga believed to have been left behind by fleeing suspects. No arrests were made at the site, but the drugs were seized for further investigation.

In a separate incident in Rhodesdene, five undocumented foreign nationals were taken into custody at a local construction site after being found in violation of immigration laws. The men were detained following confirmation that they were living in South Africa without the necessary permits.

Meanwhile, police arrested two men, aged 22 and 26, in an informal settlement near Tlhageng, Galeshewe, for allegedly dealing in drugs. Officers confiscated packets of tik (methamphetamine) and mandrax tablets during the bust.

In Barkly West, a 31-year-old suspect was caught with more of the same drugs in De Beershoogte and arrested on the spot.

All the suspects, who are aged between 22 and 49, were due to appear in the Kimberley and Barkly West magistrates’ courts on June 17. Police investigations are continuing.

Sergeant Pilane said the SAPS has vowed to keep the pressure on illegal mining syndicates and the web of criminal activity they fuel across the Northern Cape. 

Residents are urged to report any suspicious activity via the MySAPS app or by calling the Crime Stop hotline on 08600 10111.