Cape Town - A surge in drug busts involving correctional services officials and members of the public attempting to smuggle contraband into prisons means an informer contingency plan is needed, the SA Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners Organisation (Sasapo) said.
This as a 58-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday with drugs allegedly destined for the Voorberg Correctional Services Centre in Porterville.
The Manenberg woman is expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs.
According to police spokesperson FC van Wyk, the Western Cape provincial extortion task team acted on information of a consignment of drugs and unknown items that were destined to be delivered to inmates at a prison.
“The members executed a search at the indicated premises in Bevan Street, Greenhaven, Manenberg, and seized 385 Mandrax tablets, 10kg of dagga, 5g of cocaine, 10 cellphones with batteries and 35 SIM cards,” said Van Wyk.
He said further information showed that the contraband would have been smuggled into the Voorberg prison.
Earlier this month, a 41-year-old official working at Vanrhynsdorp Correctional Centre was found with her daughter, allegedly packaging Mandrax and tik worth more R1.2 million.
She was also in possession of R17 800 cash.
The duo are expected make their second appearance in the Vanrhynsdorp Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
A Zonderwater prison warder was also arrested in December after allegedly trying to smuggle 30 pills, six cellphones and seven SIM cards into the facility.
Sasapo chairperson Phindile Zweni said three years ago they handed a petition to Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officials in Pretoria.
He called for DCS to have a watchdog like Ipid. “They also need to have an informer contingency plan to at least root out 50% of all sorts of smuggling where both public members or officials are involved.”
Meanwhile, police said the trafficking of drugs was one of the root causes of violent crime in communities in the Western Cape.
“For this mere reason, members attached to Operation Restore Gugulethu are lauded for their efforts to take drugs off the streets. These members followed up intelligence of an alleged location where drugs are stored in NY 1, Gugulethu. The premises was searched and members found 495 whole/full Mandrax tablets, 17 half Mandrax tablets, 17 sachets of dagga and one black plastic bag containing loose dagga, amounting to an estimated value of R15 000.
“A 36-year-old female was arrested and is detained at Gugulethu SAPS for dealing in drugs, alternatively, possession of drugs,” Van Wyk said.
Cape Times