Club front for drug factory

2003-12-24 14:22

Johannesburg - Four men, including a nightclub owner, were arrested during a raid at a nightclub in North Riding, Johannesburg, on Wednesday, police said.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini said the nightclub was a clandestine drug factory raided by a police task team following up information received.

Police entered the premises and on searching them found drugs such as liquid ecstasy, ecstasy tablets, and CAT.

The drugs were valued at R200 000.

Dlamini said police confiscated equipment such as mixing bowls, canisters, syringes, binding material, heat incubator and recipes for manufacturing drugs.

The premises were suspected to have been used as a distribution point to the other nightclubs around Johannesburg and the West Rand and that drugs were sold to the patrons of the club, Dlamini said.

He said police could not rule out a possibility of a drug trafficking syndicate.

Investigations which might link more people in drug trafficking were continuing, Dlamini said.

The four will appear in the Randburg magistrate's court on Monday.

- SAPA