KZN prisons among top for festive season drug seizures
KwaZulu-Natal is among the provinces where large quantities of drugs were seized during raids at state prisons over the festive season.
Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale says the operations, carried out between December and January, involved over 5,500 searches at correctional centres across South Africa.
Thousands of cell phones and homemade weapons were removed from inmates.
Thobakgale says more than 46 kilograms of dagga were also confiscated nationwide.
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"Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West, as well as KwaZulu-Natal, contributed the largest share of the bulk drug seizures.
"Significant quantities of mandrax tablets were also confiscated, particularly in the Western Cape (1,012.5 tablets) and Free State/Northern Cape (199 tablets), pointing to organised smuggling networks. A total of R102,726.07 in South African currency was confiscated.
"Notably, while the Western Cape conducted the highest number of searches, it yielded relatively low cash recoveries compared to regions such as the Eastern Cape. This disparity highlights differing patterns of illicit activity, including cashless illegal operations and reinforces the importance of intelligence-driven searches."
No escapes were recorded over the period.
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