{"id":298012,"date":"2026-06-08T09:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T07:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=298012"},"modified":"2026-06-08T09:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T07:58:12","slug":"police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KOUGA<\/strong> – Police in the Sarah Baartman District have arrested 139 suspects, including 35 undocumented foreign nationals and a Chinese business owner in Humansdorp, following a sweeping week-long operation that targeted drug dealing, robbery, and immigration violations across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to police spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy, during the period 1 to 7 June, police in the district executed 78 operations and arrested suspects for various crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that among those arrested were 35 undocumented foreign nationals, as well as a 45-year-old documented Chinese business owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Chinese business owner was taken into custody during Operation Identity in St Francis Bay, Humansdorp, and Hankey,” said McCarthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that the Chinese national was arrested under Section 49(3), read in conjunction with Section 38 of the Immigration Act No. 13 of 2002, for employing foreign nationals without valid permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Fines totalling R55,500 were issued,” said McCarthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As previously reported<\/a>, speaking from the Union Buildings in Tshwane on 7 June,<\/strong> President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed a nation simmering with frustration over illegal immigration, acknowledging public concerns while drawing a direct link between the unrest and South Africa’s deepening struggles with unemployment, rising living costs, poverty, and a lack of economic opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his address, Ramaphosa outlined a five-point crackdown on illegal immigration and warned against vigilante action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Operation Identity, McCarthy said that Crime Intelligence-led operations resulted in the arrest of 26 suspects, 11 of whom were arrested for dealing in or possession of drugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy said that items recovered and illicit drugs seized during these operations across the district included mandrax, tik, cocaine, magic mushrooms, and rock kat, with a combined estimated street value of more than R311,885. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that successfully executed tracing operations led to the arrest of 43 suspects for various crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy said that tactically focused combat operations secured a further 35 arrests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspects are due to appear before various magistrate’s courts soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brigadier Abdoerahgmaan Humphries, Acting District Commissioner of the Sarah Baartman District, praised the joint efforts of the SAPS and the multidisciplinary teams involved in the various operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“South Africa is a constitutional country governed by laws that must be respected by both citizens and foreign nationals. The root cause of illegal migration is often business owners exploiting undocumented workers for cheap labour, dodging minimum wages, and bypassing local labour regulations,” said Humphries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Locals must report illegal employment through proper channels rather than engaging in intimidation, violence, or unlawful protests.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: SAPS launch manhunt after brutal KwaDwesi mass murder<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sarah Baartman police arrested 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner, during a week-long crackdown on drugs and illegal immigration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":297361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"70","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9124,9684,9683,9682,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-298012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-arrest","tag-drug-dealing","tag-foreigners","tag-immigration","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nPolice arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\"},\"headline\":\"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":413,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"arrest\",\"drug dealing\",\"foreigners\",\"immigration\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/\",\"name\":\"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg\",\"width\":853,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Sarah Baartman District police arrest 139 in week-long crackdown. PHOTO: Pixabay\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"description\":\"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\\\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lightspeedwp.agency\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@lightspeedwp\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/lightspeedwp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz | Kouga Express","description":"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz","og_description":"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","article_published_time":"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":853,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kouga Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f"},"headline":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz","datePublished":"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/"},"wordCount":413,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","keywords":["arrest","drug dealing","foreigners","immigration","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/","name":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-08T07:58:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-08T07:58:12+00:00","description":"Sarah Baartman immigration crackdown nets 139 suspects, including a Chinese business owner fined for employing undocumented workers without valid permits.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","width":853,"height":1280,"caption":"Sarah Baartman District police arrest 139 in week-long crackdown. PHOTO: Pixabay"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/police-arrest-139-in-kouga-drug-and-immigration-blitz\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Police arrest 139 in Kouga drug and immigration blitz"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"description":"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.","sameAs":["https:\/\/lightspeedwp.agency\/","https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/instagram.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@lightspeedwp"],"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/lightspeedwp\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrested-8303916_1280.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":297840,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/humansdorp-man-arrested-after-r150000-drugs-found-at-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":298012,"position":0},"title":"Humansdorp man arrested after R150,000 drugs found at home","author":"Kouga Express","date":"3 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Humansdorp man (33) faces drug dealing charges after R150,000 worth of mandrax, tik and cocaine was found hidden in his KwaNomzamo home.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Humansdorp man (33) faces drug dealing charges after R150,000 worth of mandrax, tik and cocaine was found hidden in his KwaNomzamo home.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/drugs.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296737,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/swift-police-operation-leads-to-arrest-of-two-suspects-and-recovery-of-hijacked-vehicle-in-humansdorp\/","url_meta":{"origin":298012,"position":1},"title":"Swift police operation leads to arrest of two suspects and recovery of hijacked vehicle in Humansdorp","author":"Kouga Express","date":"15 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Swift police action by K9 units and Flying Squad led to arrest of two suspects and recovery of hijacked vehicle in Humansdorp on 13 April.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Swift and coordinated action by members of the Humansdorp K9 Unit, Gqeberha K9 Unit, and the Gqeberha Flying Squad led to the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of a hijacked vehicle in Humansdorp on 13 April.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hijacked-vehicle.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298013,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298012\/revisions\/298013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298012"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=298012"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=298012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}