Police officers from the Pretoria West Cluster apprehended three suspected drug dealers who were found in possession of 1,5kgs of cocaine worth an estimated R350 000, during a planned operation in Wespark, on Friday, February 23.
The suspected dealers, aged between 40 and 45, were arrested after they were allegedly found in possession of packed cocaine bags and cocaine 'bulking' agents.
Laudium resident, Anand Brijlall, together with Silas Naidoo and his wife, Yuvette, of Wespark made their first appearance in the Atteridgeville Magistrate's Court on Monday (February 26) and were remanded in police custody. They reappeared in court this past Monday, March 5 for a formal bail application and were granted bail of R2000 (Anand) and R5000 each for the Naidoo couple. The case was remanded to Tuesday, March 13.
According to communications officer of the Pretoria West SAPS Cluster, Mike Baloyi, the first suspect, Anand was arrested on Maggs Street in Wespark after he was found in possession of cocaine. Mike added that all the suspects were believed to have previous convictions.
"In a strange twist of events, accused Anand Brijlall thought he could get away with his crime, by leading our investigators to a drug house on Bosbok Street. The team then apprehended two other suspects after they were also found in possession of cocaine. Upon arresting the drug dealers, the first suspect [Anand] offered the cops a bribe, in an attempt to deter being arrested by police. The investigating officials took the R20 000 with the intention of handing it over to their supervisors; the suspect was then charged not only for dealing in drugs, but also for bribery," Mike said.
“The planned Pretoria West Cluster intelligence driven operation, together with the Provincial Organized Crime and Tshwane Metro Police, was successful in apprehending the dealers after several months of ongoing observation and numerous planned operations to target drug dealers,” Mike concluded.
Pretoria West Cluster Captain, Neelan Nunkumar, commended his members on their excellent arrests, adding, "We will be planning and executing operations in full force to target the distribution of drugs within the community.”
The recovered cash and drugs that were found in the suspects' possession.
Resident Anand Brijlall apparently led the cops to his accomplices, leading to their arrests.