A 44-year-old police officer from Cape Town is set to face charges of drug dealing in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The officer, stationed at the Diep River police station in the southern suburbs, was arrested on March 2, according to Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk.
Van Wyk provided details of the arrest, stating that the Beaufort West District Task Team acted on information about potential illegal firearms in a taxi. The officers stopped and searched the taxi on the N1 at Beaufort West, en route to Murraysburg. The search uncovered 1,006 full mandrax tablets, 11 half mandrax tablets, 16 quarter mandrax tablets, and 502 grams of tik in the driver’s backpack, with an estimated street value of R226,475.
Confirming the police officer’s charges, Van Wyk stated that Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile praised the team for addressing corruption within their ranks, emphasizing the need to hold accountable those entrusted with society’s protection.
In a separate incident, a 42-year-old woman was arrested at the Beaufort West police station after being found in possession of drugs worth R1.5 million. The arrest occurred during a vehicle checkpoint at the N1 weigh bridge, where a K9 sniffer dog reacted to a black bag on a long-distance bus. Subsequent investigation revealed four containers with tik, estimated at R1,575,768.
Once charged, the woman will also appear in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court.