Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana has said that 191 wanted suspects were among the 395 arrests made between Thursday and Sunday as part of Operation Lockdown.
Operation Lockdown is a joint law enforcement operation which includes the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) around the Cape metropole which started in July.
The latest blitz in the operation saw 391.25 grams of cannabis, 237.30 grams of tik, 163 Mandrax tablets, one firearm, two zip guns, ammunition, and a whopping 75 366 litres of booze being confiscated.
This latest blitz will however be met with a skepticism after the majority of the 1000 suspects arrested during an earlier operation in July were released 72 hours later.
At the time, MEC for Safety Albert Fritz was concerned that the arrests have not resulted in charges and convictions.
Writing in the Independent Online, MEC Fritz said,
I have been informed that the majority of those arrested were released within 72 hours due to detective services’ failure to positively link the arrests to crimes and/or to complete the requisite investigations.
I therefore urgently call on Minister Bheki Cele to make use of my Department’s Court Watching Briefs Unit to track arrests made during the deployment, and to ensure they lead to the successful prosecution of guilty parties.
It remains to be seen whether these fresh arrests with result in successful convictions.