PRETORIA – Belinda Swart, 53, who was previously convicted for dealing in drugs has been remanded in custody on fresh charges, after she was found in possession of crystal meth.
Spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said Swart appeared before the Secunda District Court yesterday, after she was arrested by the Hawks serious organised crime investigation team based in Secunda.
The Hawks team, with SAPS crime intelligence and K9 unit, promptly responded to information about a suspect allegedly dealing in drugs around Secunda on Tuesday.
“A disruptive search and seizure operation was executed on the premises and the suspect was found in possession of drugs, crystal meth. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was previously arrested by the Hawks in 2018 for (breaching the) Drugs and Drugs Trafficking Act,” Sekgotodi said.
“The accused was later in August 2018, found guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment of which one year six months are suspended for five years, with the choice of acknowledgement of guilty of R12 000.”
During the court appearance yesterday, the Hawks said Swart’s defence insisted on proceeding with a formal bail application on a schedule five hearing.
“The accused was denied bail and remanded in custody. The case was postponed to 4 April 2022 for further investigation,” Sekgotodi said.
In November, a 37-year-old female prison warder appeared in the Witbank Magistrate’s Court for allegedly dealing in drugs.
Tinyiko Claudia Mathebula, based at Paxton Correctional Services in Witbank, was arrested by the Hawks after she was found in possession of drugs.
Sekgotodi said the court released Mathebula on R3 000 bail and postponed the case to January 27, for further investigation.
“Mathebula was nabbed by members of the Hawks serious organised crime investigation team in Mpumalanga together with Dog Unit (K9) Middelburg and Crime Intelligence Witbank for contravention of the Drug and Drugs Trafficking Act,” Sekgotodi said.
“The joint police team swiftly acted on information received about the prison warden who was allegedly dealing in drugs.”
IOL