National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, led a drug destruction exercise on Thursday in which about R420 million worth of drugs were destroyed.
Amongst the drugs destroyed at a facility in Gauteng were Mandrax worth over R200 million seized in Emandeni, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2022, and R50 million worth of the same drug concealed in false compartments in a truck seized at a port of entry to Johannesburg in 2022.
Cocaine to the value of R6 million was also seized between 2016 and 2022 at OR Tambo International Airport. At least six drug traffickers have been arrested at the airport during the period and each sentenced to between three and ten years imprisonment.
The Citizen was on the scene when drugs were being offloaded from a police van and tested by a forensic specialist.
Police officers and the media were given Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect against various fumes coming from the truck. Once tested, they are transported inside the facility to be destroyed.
WATCH: On the scene
A message to drug lords
Masemola highlighted how this exercise sent a clear message to those who sell drugs in South Africa.
“Each of these [drugs] tells a story of criminal syndicates stopped in their tracks.”
The majority of the drugs were confiscated in KZN, but Masemola rubbished claims of it being the main hotspot or the least-guarded entry port. He emphasised how drugs can come through harbours, airports, or by road.
“In terms of where drugs are coming from, most of the drugs are coming from South America and the Asian countries. They come from various points: sea, air, and land.”
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Operation Shanela II not left behind
The commissioner missed no chance in praising Operation Shanela 2 and what it has achieved so far.
He praises the men and women in blue who have been leading roadblocks, tracing operations and stop and searches amongst other operations.
“We are sending a message that criminals have nowhere to hide,” he added.
“The operation is still continuing, and it places the serious and violent crimes at the centre of our police focus.
“In the past seven days, 70 005 suspects have been arrested across the country”.
In the same period, 2 444 unlicensed firearms, including 1 994 handguns and more than 40 000 rounds of ammunition were seized.
