GAUTENG - PRETORIA WEST COMMUNITY SET FIRE TO SUSPECTED DRUG DEN & BROTHEL

Angry residents of Pretoria West set fire to two houses, said to be a drug den and a brothel, on Saturday morning.

No injuries were reported and it was unclear whether police had made any arrests or not.

Calm had returned to the area by the early afternoon.

NEWS24 reported the following:

Violence broke out in Pretoria West on Saturday as community members vowed to rid the area of drugs and prostitution.

Angry residents raided what they called drug dens, telling the tenants they did not want them living there.

They also called for "pimps" to release prostitutes and send them back home.

Armed police were monitoring from the situation, while residents, some armed with sticks and rods, roamed the streets.

Two houses, an alleged drug den and a brothel, were burned earlier in the morning.

Businesses in the area had shut down by Saturday afternoon.

Police did not respond to calls for comment on Saturday.

It was not clear if there had been any injuries reported in the area.

This follows a breakout of violence in Rossetenville last week, where residents set alight 10 homes, claiming they belonged to drug dealers.

 VIA - enca / @crimeairnetwork

THAILAND - COPS SEIZE OVER 7 MILLION METHAMPHETAMINE TABLETS AFTER DRAMATIC CAR CHASE

Police in Thailand seized more than seven million methamphetamine tablets on Saturday following a dramatic car chase, highlighting how drugs continue to pour into the country from the notorious Golden Triangle region.

Investigators said three speeding pick-up trucks failed to stop at a checkpoint in norther Lampang province, close to Thailand’s porous
borders with Myanmar and Laos.

“Police shot out the tyres of the middle car and arrested one Thai national,” Colonel Chairoj Uangpayung, commander of Wiang Mok police station, told AFP.In his truck they found 3.4 million meth tablets and 20 kilogrammes of “ice” — a purer form of methamphetamine.

Authorities sped after the other two pick-up drivers who escaped, but not before dropping 20 bags of methamphetamine on the road.”Police have not counted the second batch yet but altogether I think it’s more than seven million tablets,” Colonel Chairoj said.Investigators estimate the street value of the haul at around $32 million.

Thailand is a major drug market as well as transit route, particularly for “yaba” — meth pills produced in the notorious Golden Triangle region bordering Laos and Myanmar.The region churns out huge quantities of methamphetamine as well as heroin, opium and cannabis — much of it bound for consumers in Asia and beyond.

While drug seizures and arrests of low-level couriers are common, it is rare for authorities in Laos, Myanmar or Thailand to take down cartel kingpins.Police data obtained by AFP earlier this month showed Myanmar confiscated a record 98 million meth tablets last year, double the previous year’s haul.

In December, Thai police made a record seizure of pure methamphetamine, seizing half a tonne — worth some $40 million — being transported in an 18-wheel lorry.A month later they also arrested Laos national Xaysana Keopimpha, describing him as a major drug kingpin, although few had heard of him until his arrest.

Police say Xaysana had links to a number of Thai celebrities and powerful people who are now part of a widening probe.

But experts say most cartel leaders continue to do business with relative impunity and that laboratories in Laos, Myanmar and southern China can easily make up for losses incurred during raids.

KWAZULU / NATAL - POLICE DISCOVER DAGGA WORTH ALMOST R500 000 IN BAKKIE ON THE N2

When police pulled over a bakkie on the N2 on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Wednesday‚ what they saw under the canopy appeared to be bags of potatoes.

But a closer look revealed there was much more to the spuds than they realised. It was the "greenest" potato salad to be had.

"Officers received information about a bakkie which was transporting dagga from Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. An observation was made along the N2 freeway and the bakkie was spotted near Merlewood. It was stopped and searched‚ and upon searching 44 bags of dagga were found‚" said KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesman Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo.

Jacket Phancuza‚ 36‚ was arrested for dealing in dagga on Wednesday. He appeared in court the following day.

"The total weight of the seized dagga was 164.4kg with a street value of approximately R493,000‚" said Mhlongo.

Phancuza will appear in court next week for a bail application.

VIA - timeslive

JOHANNESBURG - DRUG SUPPLIERS IN TURFFONTEIN & ROODEPOORT BROUGHT TO JUSTICE BY JMPD

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s K9 Unit has busted two major drug suppliers in Turffontein and one in Roodepoort.

A man and woman were arrested in Turffontein yesterday, and 27 kilograms of cannabis and R9 000 cash were confiscated.

It is believed the suspects are suppliers to surrounding neighbourhoods, including Rosettenville, which has seen violent protests by residents who say they’re fed up with crime.

The two were taken to Booysens police station for processing.

At the same time the K9 Unit arrested a man in the Roodepoort CBD for possession of and dealing drugs.

The suspect was taken to the Roodepoort Police Station.

“With the help of community members and the dedicated work of the specialised JMPD task team we will ensure that we hold criminals to account,” said City of Joburg MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun.

VIA - powerfm

EUROPE - NETHERLANDS POLICE SEIZE ENOUGH CHEMICALS TO MANUFACTURE A BILLION ECSTASY PILLS

Dutch police said they seized enough materials to make a billion Ecstasy pills in a truck near the border with Belgium on Thursday.

The haul, which included 100 canisters of hydrogen, 15 tons of caustic soda and 3 000 litres of other chemicals, was worth several hundred thousand euros on its own, the force said on Twitter.

Officers said they found it in the village of Rilland, in the southern province of Zeeland, about 80 km south of Rotterdam and 40 km north of Antwerp.

Police say drugs pass through both ports and the Netherlands is known as one of the world's major manufacturing centres for ecstasy.

Police did not give an estimate of the street value of the drug or say if anyone was arrested.

VIA - iol

WESTERN CAPE - MAN ARRESTED IN BONTEHEUWEL WITH TIK AMOUNTING TO R20 000

The efforts of members attached to Operation Combat to address gang related crime in this province were rewarded last night with the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of a prohibited firearm and drugs.