An alleged drug dealer has been arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) in KwaZulu-Natal.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, Hawks personnel from Pietermaritzburg Serious Organised Crime Investigation, working with Kwazulu-Natal Counter Narcotics and Crime Intelligence, arrested accused drug dealer Xolani Sihle Ndlovu, 39, in the Mpophomeni area of Howick.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Sibu Ncane said the multifaceted operation was conducted following intelligence reports that Ndlovu was engaged with the sale of drugs in Mpophomeni.
"In response, the Hawks conducted a series of undercover drug purchases from Ndlovu between June 7, 2024, and August 21, 2024.The substances purchased during these operations were sent to a laboratory for testing and were confirmed to be illegal narcotics, including various types of drugs with street value of R45,640," Ncane said.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, police executed a warrant for Ndlovu's arrest and charged him with four charges of narcotics dealing.
The following day on January 31, 2025, the accused had a brief appearance at Howick Magistrate's Court. The case has been postponed to February 3, 2025, for a bail application.
The KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Provincial Head, Major General Dr Lesetja Senona, praised the joint efforts of the various law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest and emphasised the importance of intelligence-driven operations in combatting illegal drug trafficking.
In a similar case, R120,000 worth of dagga was seized by Hawks in 'sophisticated drug lab' in KZN.
Two suspects were apprehended in a decisive combined operation led by Newcastle Serious Organised Crime Investigation Hawks, in partnership with Newcastle K9 Unit, Crime Intelligence, and Public Order Policing.
Ncane said that based on solid intelligence acquired in November 2023, the Hawks determined that the facilities were being utilised as a dagga laboratory, where it was processed, blended with other substances, and marketed as consumable items to customers.
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