Coffee plan fails
2003-09-22 20:11
Bloemfontein - A sharp-eared court orderly was responsible for the arrest on Monday of a man for possession of what appeared to be coffee but in fact turned out to be dagga, police said.
Free State police spokesperson Ernest Mayiki said an orderly at the Bloemfontein magistrate's court was asked by a 26-year-old man to take a tin of coffee to relatives being held in the cells pending an appearance in an armed robbery case.
On first inspection all appeared fine. But when the orderly shook the tin he realised the sound the contents made did not suggest it contained coffee.
He then discovered there was a hole in the side of the container over which a new label had been pasted.
The official found just over 1.5kg of dagga inside the tin. The "helpful relative" was arrested and will appear in the same court on September 25.
The assistant commissioner for the area said security had been stepped up at the court following a number of escapes recently.
"Perpetrators of crime will find it difficult to do as they wish," said Commissioner Baile Motswenyane. He said increased security at the court was proving most effective.
- SAPA