Spaza Somali held for hiding drugs
CAUGHT: Spaza shop owner was arrested
A Somali spaza shop owner is agter tralies after he was busted while hiding tik worth R180 000 for the Six Bobs gang in Phumlani Village.
The 30-year-old winkelman was gevang by wakker cops from Grassy Park when they saw him acting nervously during drug searches conducted on Wednesday.
Station commander Dawood Laing said officers from the Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) were conducting patrols when they spotted a skollie and searched him.
Laing said the shop owner, who was seen nearby, gave his own game away when he appeared to be paaping.
This caused officers to become suspicious.
“They were searching a member of the Six Bobs gang and found nothing on him but the spaza shop owner was standing and acting nervously, and that raised suspicions.
“He had a black sling bag on him and as the officers entered the shop, he tried to run away but was trapped and they searched him.
“That is when they discovered two large packets containing tik which is valued at R180 000,” he said.
“They also found R3 460 in cash and a silver magazine in the right pocket of his pants.”
Laing explained that the owner was arrested and will soon face charges of drug dealing at Wynberg Magistrate’s Court.
He said foreign shop owners have been the victims of extortion for many years.
“All the spaza shop owners are forced to pay a protection fee to the gangs and when they cannot pay, they must stock or hide drugs and guns,” the top cop wysed.
“The problem is they hardly ever come forward because many of them are undocumented and they fear deportation.
“The gangs exploit this and have been running exploitation rackets like this for years.”