MEC applauds law enforcement agencies for their “selflessness and diligence” in their effort to combat crime
A MULTI-disciplinary crime-prevention operation, dubbed Operation Eagle Eye II, saw the arrest of several suspects in the John Taolo Gaetsewe and Namakwa districts of the Northern Cape for contravening Level 2 lockdown regulations.
The operation, which included several law enforcement agencies such as the SAPS, Crime Intelligence and SANDF and officials from the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison, started on Friday in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District and finished in the Namakwa District on Monday.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said the focus of the operation was to disrupt criminal activities and curb illegal firearms, drugs, stolen vehicles and contraband tobacco products.
“Compliance inspections were also done at liquor stores, taverns and restaurants in terms of Level 2 of the lockdown regulations,” said Tawana.
Several premises were identified and raided, while drugs and large sums of cash suspected to have been generated illegally were also confiscated.
Tawana added that the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, joined the group on Friday evening and addressed the members on parade before they executed their duties.
“In her address she applauded the law enforcement agencies for their selflessness and diligence in their effort to combat crime. The MEC formed part of the compliance inspection and visits to taverns in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District.”
Several houses suspected to be crime dens were simultaneously raided in both the John Taolo Gaetsewe and Namakwa districts.
“During the raids an inquiry docket was opened after suspected contraband cigarettes were found at one of the premises in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District,” Tawana said.
“Crystal meth, valued at R25 000, and cash amounting to R28 000, believed to be the proceeds of the sale of drugs, were seized.”
A tavern, situated in the Kuruman CBD, was also visited, and the owner was fined R5 000 for contravening Covid-19 lockdown regulations, Level 2. The tavern was closed with immediate effect.
On Sunday, phase 2 of Operation Eagle Eye II was executed in the Namakwa District. Here mandrax tablets were confiscated at various premises in the Springbok area, while raids were also conducted at several houses in Port Nolloth.
“Bags filled with diamond-bearing gravel were confiscated after being found in possession of illegal diamond miners in the Port Nolloth area.”
Following the operation, the district commander of John Taolo Gaetsewe, Major-General Johan Bean, sent a strong warning to those who continue to disregard Covid-19 lockdown regulations, stating that the police would continue to stamp the authority of the state by enforcing the law.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, MEC Bloem also lauded Operation Eagle Eye II and applauded the team for their committed and targeted work to rid communities of drugs.
“The manner in which these operations are functioned – the collaborative efforts and the actioning of community-safety partnerships – are positive, progressive and proactive interventions that penetrate the underbelly of criminality, expose evils that compromise community safety and assert the authority of a law enforcement system geared diligently towards the protection of the citizens of the Northern Cape.”
