Two Grassy Park brothers will appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court today for allegedly selling cough syrup which a top cop says is used as a date rape drug among teens.
Grassy Park police have revealed that a concoction of the cough syrup, which contains codeine, with fizzy cooldrinks is being used by boys to make girls flou so they can have sex with them.
Station commander, Colonel Dawood Laing, says the brothers, aged 33 and 36, were busted during a raid at their home in 8th Avenue on Tuesday afternoon where cops uncovered the medicine stash worth over R7000 in their room.
“Captain Ashley Petersen and his team were out on patrol when they received information about drugs being sold at a property on 8th Avenue,” says Laing.
“They went to the house and conducted a search and discovered 11 boxes of Stilpane cough syrup in one of the rooms.
“When they counted the amount of cough syrup they found, there were 246 bottles which are sold for R30 a bottle.
“In addition they found two bags of compressed high grade dagga worth over R20 000.”
UNCOVERED: Cops found 11 boxes of Stilpane cough syrup and zol at Grassy Park house.
Laing says he is calling on the courts to make an example of the broers, as cops are finding children passed out in public parks and the concoction, known as lean, is even being consumed at schools.
“The empty cough syrup bottles are found everywhere in parks, at schools and various other public places as the children keep getting high,” says Laing.
“According to the Pharmaceuticals Act, someone without a licence cannot just sell cough syrup and we want the courts to take harsh action against them because they know why the children are buying it and they don’t have a licence.”
In August last year, pictures circulated on social media of schoolgirls passed out in a Retreat park sparked an outcry among crime fighters.
Police were called to Julius Crescent Park where girls as young as 13 years old were found flou and taken to hospital.
According to patrollers, when they eventually woke up, they “walked around like zombies”.
Laing says the problem has worsened as teen boys are now giving girls lean so they can have sex with them.
“They are giving it to the girls now so they can do what they want to with them sexually,” he says.
“When the girls are passed out, the boys take advantage and the girls are too scared to tell their parents because they know they were getting high.
“The courts need to take serious action because it is becoming a date rape drug.”