Grassy Park cops have launched an investigation into the manufacturing of drug-laced lekkertjies being sold to laaities following the arrest of an alleged drug mert from Ottery.
The shocking arrest on Wednesday afternoon caused an outcry when it was discovered that the 27-year-old suspect was selling dagga lollipops and gummy sweets for just R15 so kids can get high.
Grassy Park station commander Dawood Laing says cops seized drugs and lekkertjies worth over R70 000 in two days from an Ottery huiswinkel.
“This is a known house for selling drugs and there is a winkel in the front that is used as a front,” he confirmed.
“On Tuesday our Crime Prevention Unit searched the house and found bags of compressed dagga worth about R10 000.
“The next day another team went to search the property amid a tip-off and this is when all these dagga sweets were discovered.”
When questioned, Laing says the Tanzanian national revealed that he used cannabis oil, which he derived from the dagga plants, and this is mixed with a sugary syrup to manufacture the sweets.
“He then sells it in two parts. The one is a lollipop for children to suck and get high, and the other is a tub filled with these gummy sweets. He then sells it for as little as R15,” he explained.
“The drug dealers are finding new ways to not only get children addicted to drugs, but to hide it from their parents and teachers.
“He will be appearing in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on drug dealing charges where we will be opposing his release on bail.”
Melvin Jonkers of the Community Police Forum (CPF) added: “This is very shocking and shows the drug dealers have no compulsion about their impact on the community and just care about money.
“Firstly, nobody would even suspect that their child is on drugs if they found these sweets.
“Secondly, what happens if a smaller child like a toddler picks up one of these sweets? The child could overdose, or even worse.”
Jonkers says the CPF are calling on the courts to deny the bail application of the suspect.
He added: “A couple of years ago we warned about the impacts of people selling cough syrup to children.
“Now the courts must deal with this suspect to avoid another scenario like that.
“We are also calling on the community to start piemping all the suspects making these sweets.”