Alleged father and son kingpins nabbed

POLICE officers invaid the drug house Picture:SANDILE MAKHOBA

POLICE officers invaid the drug house Picture:SANDILE MAKHOBA

Published Jan 9, 2013

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Durban - Another suspected druglord and his son have been arrested in Shallcross and more than R5 million in drugs seized. Provincial police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni was at the scene to congratulate the police involved in the operation on Tuesday night.

“There has been a concern about drugs in this area and we have arrested peddlers before, but today (Tuesday) we got the drug lord,” she said.

Ngobeni warned that the police were coming for drug lords and they would be caught eventually.

The man, who was known by his alias “Teddy Mafia”, had been wanted by police for several years, police spokesman Jay Naicker said at the scene.

In the operation, led by Brigadier Derek Captain-Hastibeer, police received information that Teddy Mafia’s son had drugs at his home in Shallcross.

Armed police stormed the house, which is about 30 houses away from his father’s house. The son allowed them inside.

A “secret” compartment was found and, when searched, the police found gold jewellery, diamonds worth R500 000, heroin, mandrax straws, 4 025 tablets, a gun with 87 rounds of ammunition and R71 000 in cash.

The R1.6 million cash seized in an earlier raid in Savannah Park last week belonged to a relative of the man, Naicker confirmed.

The flying squad narcotics team then received information from informants that drugs were arriving at the house of his father, Teddy Mafia.

“There was no time to obtain a search warrant,” Naicker said.

Armed police arrived at the house and he co-operated by allowing them to search.

One bedroom had a cupboard filled with heroin, cocaine, mandrax and ecstasy worth R5 million, he said.

Police dog Xaba was sent to search the home while neighbours watched.

The man was arrested and charged with dealing in drugs.

Naicker said that on New Year’s Eve, the man’s wife was arrested at the same house after she was found with R740 000 in cash, R5 000 worth of drugs and three guns.

She is currently out on bail.

According to a policeman close to the investigation, the drugs are believed to be coming from Brazil and Mexico.

“Teddy had several people stationed around the neighbourhood as look-outs who alerted him when the police approached,” he said, adding that the drug kingpin had paid the water and lights bills of several neighbours.

This was corroborated by two neighbours who confirmed that Teddy had often bought them groceries and had given them money to pay their bills in return for their silence.

“He really supported us,” said one neighbour, who would not be named.

About 40 people emerged on the streets, toyi-toying towards the police and chanting “uyeza u Teddy” (Teddy is coming).

The police phoned for back-up and at least 10 cars with 20 armed policemen arrived.

Other policemen were all smiles as they celebrated the arrests. One policeman said Teddy was always careful and “did not touch the drugs”.

“He always had people who touched the drugs. He slipped up yesterday, and we finally got him.”

Last week the police arrested “German”, a suspected drug lord in Chatsworth.

Three other people were also arrested in that sting. - The Mercury

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