Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 Source: Cape Times (South Africa) Copyright: 2008 Cape Times Contact: http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=3232 Website: http://www.capetimes.co.za/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2938 Author: Aziz Hartley Five Arrested In Joint Raids POLICE TURN UP THE HEAT ON DRUG DEALERS IN COUNCIL HOUSING METRO POLICE officers were out in force in Lavender Hill and Retreat yesterday to give suspected drug dealers the message: "The heat is on, so stop now with your illegal trade or face the might of the law." Using sledgehammers, bolt cutters and specially designed crowbars, a squad of Metro Police officers and their SA Police Service counterparts raided a number of houses in the two suburbs looking for drugs, targeting mainly council-owned properties suspected of being used as drug outlets. One of the raids was so swift that it took a team of Metro Police officers only seven seconds to seal off escape routes, remove a burglar gate and enter a house, to the bewilderment of its occupants. After officers informed the occupants that search warrants had been obtained, their fingerprints were electronically scanned with a hand-held device (Morphis) to check if they were on the wanted list, and a sniffer dog made a thorough search. Glen Kleinsmith, a member of a council anti-drug task team, said: "Our focus is to deal with the scourge of drugs and alcohol in the community, specifically trading on council-owned property . "On Wednesday, we raided about 18 places, including Hanover Park and Bellville South. Our work covers the whole metro and as far as Atlantis, Maccasar and Strand. In this week alone, about 30 houses were raided. It's an ongoing task and we'll do it every day. We want to keep the heat on drug dealers and hit them as hard as possible." Yesterday's first raid, at Fawley Court in Lavender Hill, was followed about 25 minutes later by raids at flats in Horstley Court, in Retreat. Four men and a woman were frisked outside a house where a tik lollie (glass tube to smoke tik) was found. A fifth man was taken into custody after a packet of tik was allegedly found in his shoe. His argument that it was salt fell on deaf ears as the raid team of about 30 sped to a house in Elsie Manning Street, Cafda Village. There, after knocking down part of a brick wall, they found two antique guns, two packets of tik, two lollies, unused straws and a stolen motorbike. A man and a woman were arrested. The council's safety and security committee chairperson, JP Smith, said: "This is a joint operation and SAPS is the leading agency. We co-operate as much as we can. Drugs are a very serious problem. Most crimes in the city are drug-related because people are stealing and mugging simply to get money to buy drugs." Smith said the raids showed that the bulk of the men and women of the Metro Police were dedicated and efficient. He repeated the council's appeal for residents to report drug dealing from council houses. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart