The Lejweleputswa police have arrested 126 suspects, including illegal immigrants, and confiscated dagga weighing more than 1 tonne during Operation Vala Umgodi in the Goldfields.
The disruptive actions were held in Bothaville, Viljoenskroon, Vierfontein, Welkom, Theunissen, and Thabong between 29 July and 4 August.
The charges meted out include illegal immigration, traffic-related offences, liquor-related offences, possession and dealing in dagga, and possession of gold-bearing material.
Members of Vala Ungodi, together with the Department of Home Affairs and members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members, partnered with the police to bring about justice.
Various crime preventative operations were conducted which included roadblocks, intelligence-driven operations, vehicle checkpoints, intensive bush patrols, stop-and-search points, waylays, and premises being searched. The different units also patrolled different malls in the area, visited spaza shops, searched vehicles and persons during roadblocks, and patrolled mines and shafts to ensure police visibility.
The police seized dagga weighing 1 174 kg with a street value of R4 024, cash amounting to R1 620, and almost 8 kg of gold-bearing material.
The suspects appeared in the Welkom, Viljoenskroon, Odendaalsrus, Ventersburg, and Theunissen Magistrates’ Courts, respectively, on 5 August.
