The Upington District Court handed down sentences to a man and a woman on drug dealing charges following the pair’s conviction after a lengthy trial.
THE UPINGTON District Court handed down sentences to Xavier Roelf, 26, and Joslin Visser, 27, on drug dealing charges.
The sentencing took place on Monday following the pair’s conviction on March 21 after a lengthy trial. They were both out on bail of R2,000 each during the trial.
During the trial, some of the accused pleaded guilty, while others were convicted as part of the “Project Dumper” investigation. Roelf and Visser’s arrests took place during the Project Dumper operation.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Tebogo Thebe said that in October 2023, the Hawks’ Priority Crime Specialised Investigation team and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit successfully obtained a forfeiture order for a vehicle valued at R43,380.65. The vehicle was seized because it was used as an instrument in the commission of an offence.
The court sentenced Roelf, identified as accused number one, to five years direct imprisonment, with two years suspended for five years under specific conditions. He will serve three years in incarceration.
Visser, identified as accused number two, received a three-year correctional supervision sentence with conditions.
Both accused individuals were declared unfit to possess a firearm and their drugs were forfeited to the State.
The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in the Northern Cape, Major-General Stephen Mabuela, expressed appreciation for the efforts of the investigating and prosecutorial team in securing the sentences.
