Children found with drugs as suspects refuse to reveal suppliers to police

 

The fight against drug abuse in the country continues to face serious setbacks, not because of lack of law enforcement effort, but individuals determined to profit from the destruction of lives.

Mmathubudikwane Police Station Commander, Assistant Superintendent Mmoloki Mogale said this in an interview with this publication this week.

Mogale said his policing area is grappling with the illegal use and distribution of drugs, a situation he described as deeply disturbing given the continued awareness campaigns on the devastating effects of substance abuse on families and communities.

“What makes this fight difficult is that some people are fully aware of the damage drugs cause, yet they still choose to break the law for financial gain,” Mogale lamented.

He cited an arrest made over the past weekend as a clear example of how far some individuals are willing to go in pursuit of profit.

They arrested a 49-year-old woman from Kgosing Ward in Mabalane, who owns a tuckshop that appears to sell everyday household items such as canned food, sugar, bread, soft drinks and sweets for children.

However, the tuckshop also has a drug-dealing operation.

Following a tip-off from members of the public, police officers raided the woman’s tuckshop and discovered about 25 small sachets of dagga hidden inside the premises, suggesting that the drugs were being sold openly to customers.

“What is worrying is that this tuckshop sells items mainly bought by children. This means drugs could easily be sold to minors under the guise of a normal business transaction,” Mogale said.

Police later searched the woman’s home and recovered additional quantities of dagga stored in a five-litre container. Mogale said the substance is still being weighed to determine its total mass and

street value.

What worries him is that efforts to establish the source of the drugs have so far proved difficult.

“We questioned her about her supplier but she has not been cooperative. She only claimed that she obtained them from a Zimbabwean man,” Mogale said.

He indicated that the refusal by suspects to identify their suppliers undermines efforts to dismantle drug networks.

The case is one of many others previously handled by the station, where suspects are found in possession of drugs but refuse to provide information that could lead to higher-level dealers.

In one troubling case, police found school-going children in possession of drugs, but the children failed to provide useful leads to the source.

“This is heart-breaking because it means young lives are already being pushed onto dangerous paths,” Mogale said.

He urged community members to work with police by reporting drug activity and lamented that the fight against drugs cannot be won as long as greed continues to outweigh concern for human life and the future of the country’s children.