According to IOL, last Friday, police intercepted a vehicle on the N2 near Sir Lowry’s Pass, seizing an estimated R2 million worth of mandrax.
Also read: Cops intercept truckload of drugs destined for Cape Town
The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, commonly referred to as the Hawks, reported that the car, travelling from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town, was intercepted based on intelligence received regarding drug transportation.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani stated that law enforcement had received information about a vehicle transporting drugs.
‘The vehicle was stopped and searched. On closer inspection, 50 packets of mandrax were found in a false compartment in the back of the vehicle and the driver was immediately arrested,’ said Hani.
Hani mentioned that the 33-year-old suspect is anticipated to appear in the Strand Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he will face charges related to drug dealing.
Mandrax, also known as buttons or quaalude, has deep-rooted associations with the Western Cape, particularly the Cape Flats, dating back to the 1980s, and is intertwined with illicit drug trafficking and gang conflicts.
Criminal expert Simon Howell emphasised that mandrax remains one of the most prevalent substances in both the province and South Africa as a whole.
Howell further explained that mandrax was previously used as a sleeping aid to address issues such as insomnia and to aid soldiers in getting rest during World War II.
‘At the time you could buy quaaludes over the counter and in stores, it was produced at pharmacies and was legal.’
‘I don’t know who or how the person discovered it could be crushed and used as a powder, but that’s how South Africa changed it.’
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Picture: @SAPoliceService / X