Couple allegedly sold dagga-infused sweets to schoolchildren
CAPE TOWN - The police in the Western Cape cops have issued a warning about an increase in the sale of dagga-infused sweets to children amid a R100,000 bust in Ottery on Friday morning.
Grassy Park station commander Dawood Laing said the early morning raid at two homes owned by a couple resulted in their arrests and the seizure of various items known as “edibles”.
He said eager police officers set out on the raids after receiving information that the couple, aged 29 and 30, were selling the sweets to schoolchildren in the precinct.
“This is a major problem in the precinct with many schools reporting that the children are reportedly high on drugs. This new trend sees the drug merchants running normal shops in the front of their homes and children can then purchase these drug-infused items and go completely undetected by their parents and teachers,” said Laing.
Laing says the perpetrators are manufacturing the products by extracting the oil from the seeds of dagga plants and infusing it with syrups.
“What they do is they extract the oil and add it to syrup and make these gummy sweets and lollipops which they sell for just R15. The problem is, it is unknown what other chemicals they are using and when you consider that other drugs, such as heroin, can easily be melted and added to the syrup and this could start generating a lethal addiction.”
He said that during the raid, the police found the couple in possession of a large stash of sweets, lollipops and biscuits laced with dagga and they were subsequently arrested.
“We seized the entire stash worth over R100,000 and its shows how rich they are getting. They are even buying properties cash with the money they make by selling this to our children.
“Both suspects will be appearing on drug dealing charges in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday and it is time that the courts take these crimes seriously.”
Laing further warned that the sweets may have an impact on younger children who could consume the drugs by mistake.
“If you have a younger child who picks up these gummies, the consequences could be deadly. What happens if that child ends up in hospital with a overdose? The parents would be investigated and they would be none the wiser because the child ate what they thought was just a sweet.”
Melvin Jonkers of the Community Police Forum condemned the actions.
“We commend the SAPS for their continued harassment of the perpetrators who sell these kind of products to our young people for profit and gain, at the same time destroying the lives and future of our young people. We condemn this and encourage the police to ensure that these perpetrators remain behind bars and are successfully prosecuted,” said Jonkers.