FREE STATE – Two alleged drug dealers were arrested in Parys following a targeted operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Welkom Anti-Gang Unit (Section C2). The dedicated crime-combatting deployment in the Tumahole industrial area resulted in the seizure of illicit substances, including Nyaope and Mandrax, as authorities continue to secure and search known crime hotspots.
On Thursday, 23 July 2026, the Welkom Anti-Gang Unit shifted its operational focus from Deneysville to Parys to conduct intensified anti-crime duties. During a routine patrol near a local scrapyard in the Tumahole industrial area, officers observed a group of men gathered under a tree.
As law enforcement personnel discreetly approached to conduct a search, the individuals fled on foot in separate directions. Officers pursued one suspect toward the Tokoloho Section, successfully apprehending him inside the Tokoloho Cemetery. A subsequent search revealed a stash of Nyaope concealed inside the suspect’s shoes, alongside an undisclosed amount of cash. He was immediately taken into custody.
Continuing the search of the vicinity, officers returned to the scrapyard area and intercepted a second suspect, identified as a 34-year-old African male, actively engaged in selling drugs. The individual attempted to evade arrest by fleeing toward Tokoloho but was cornered by officers near a residential property. Authorities recovered Nyaope, Mandrax tablets, and an undisclosed sum of cash in his possession.
According to the Welkom Anti-Gang Unit, both suspects have been formally charged with possession of and dealing in illicit drugs. They are scheduled to appear in the Parys Magistrate’s Court in the near future.
This operation underscores the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit’s ongoing commitment to dismantling drug distribution networks and maintaining public safety in high-risk communities across the region.
Â
Â