Truck with tik bust in Parow

A joint operation by Parow SAPS and Border Police has stopped a truck hauling R30 million of tik from dumping its deadly cargo on Cape Town’s streets.

The truck was headed into the city from Johannesburg on Friday night when it was pulled over in Duiker Street, at 6.30pm, and searched, say police.

The officers had been tipped off about the truck, said Parow police spokesman Captain Kevin Williams.

Inside the truck, police found freezers holding 19 see-through plastic bags of uncut tik – about 35kg of the drug.

“The vehicle was driven by an unarmed man in his 50s from Johannesburg. The contents of the truck were to be delivered to a warehouse owned by a Somali national in Duiker Street, in Parow’s industrial area,” said Captain Williams.

The driver was arrested for possession of drugs and is being held, along with the tik, at Parow police station for further investigation.

The police were reluctant to comment further on the Somali national, saying their investigations are at a sensitive stage.

The suspect appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday March 5, on charges of dealing in drugs.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula praised the officers involved.

“The confiscation and arrest boost our efforts to tackle both drug users and dealers,” he said.

Parow Community Police Forum chairman Roger Cannon said such a large drug haul was “a win for the community” because “that stash won’t hit the streets and damage more people’s lives”.

He urged the public to report crime and suspicious behaviour to the police.