Summary of the Story:
- Police rescued a kidnapped businessman and arrested eight suspects in Johannesburg.
- The businessman was kidnapped on 5 July 2024 at a mosque in Helderkruin, Roodepoort.
- Six suspects were arrested and drugs worth R300 million were seized in Fourways on 31 July 2024.
- National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola praised the police for their efforts against transnational crime syndicates.
Police rescued a kidnapped businessman and arrested eight suspects in Fourways, Johannesburg, during a drug bust operation on Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
Fourways drug bust: Here’s what happened
According to police, the businessman was abducted on Friday, 5 July 2024 at a mosque in Helderkruin, Roodepoort, and was found at a house in Lenasia on Wednesday.
The SAPS anti-kidnapping task team had been diligently working on the case and made the initial arrests last week.
On Wednesday, 31 July 2024, intelligence fed by a remote team led the multidisciplinary squad to a hotel in East Gate and two apartments in Fourways.
There, they apprehended six additional suspects and seized drugs, suspected to be crystal meth, worth R300 million.
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, visited the crime scenes along with Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, and Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni.
General Masemola commended the team for their dedication and success in dismantling transnational organized crime syndicates.
“Well done to the team. Our men and women in blue remain hard at work in taking down syndicates involved in dealing and trafficking drugs. Commendable progress has been registered in recent weeks, and we owe those successes to our dedicated police officers and our partners in crime, including private security. We will continue to come after those who are involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking,” said General Masemola.
General Masemola was expected to hold a briefing on Thursday morning.