{"id":79138,"date":"2025-05-05T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T10:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=79138"},"modified":"2025-05-05T13:29:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T11:29:55","slug":"welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"79139\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/khat-bust-on-n1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Khat bust on N1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79139\" style=\"width:588px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Khat-bust-on-N1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The estimated street value of the confiscated bundles of the illegal drug Khat is estimated at R198 900. Photo: SAPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A combined police operation intercepted more than 6 000 bags of the illegal drug Khat, with a street value of almost R200 000. The consignment was on its way to Cape Town<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Friday, 2 May, the Welkom K9 Unit achieved a significant success in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acting on intelligence received from the Free State Provincial Counter Narcotics Unit and with the support of a private security company, a well-coordinated waylay operation was conducted on the N1 near Ventersburg, where they intercepted a truck with its illegal cargo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-large-font-size\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;Upon inspection, members of the Welkom K9 Unit discovered bundles of Khat, a prohibited substance, concealed in the vehicle. The estimated street value of the confiscated drugs is approximately R198 900.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Capt. Loraine Earle, police spokesperson in the Free State<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A 43-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene for possession of drugs and dealing in drugs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Police seized over 6,000 bags of Khat worth R198,900, arresting a suspect during an operation near Ventersburg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":46168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"42","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_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","_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":"1","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_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":"1","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":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[7911,91,7980],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-79138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-crime","tag-top","tag-welkom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.9 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.\" \/>\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\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?fit=1440%2C1080&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\"},\"headline\":\"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":176,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crime\",\"Top\",\"Welkom\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/\",\"name\":\"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"The police intercepted 6 600 bundles of Khat en route to Cape Town.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"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\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\",\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marti Will\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/marti-will\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town | Vista","description":"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.","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\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town","og_description":"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?fit=1440%2C1080&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marti Will","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marti Will","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/"},"author":{"name":"Marti Will","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956"},"headline":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town","datePublished":"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/"},"wordCount":176,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg","keywords":["Crime","Top","Welkom"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/","name":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-05T10:39:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-05T11:29:55+00:00","description":"A well-coordinated police operation in Welkom leads to the arrest of a suspect and the confiscation of illegal Khat drugs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg","width":1440,"height":1080,"caption":"The police intercepted 6 600 bundles of Khat en route to Cape Town."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/welkom-police-celebrate-a-significant-breakthrough-against-drugs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Welkom police celebrate a significant breakthrough against drugs en route to Cape Town"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","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\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956","name":"Marti Will","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Marti Will"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/marti-will\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49074,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/bus-driver-caught-with-khat-valued-at-r116-400-20240408\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":0},"title":"Bus driver caught with  Khat valued at R116 400","author":"Vista","date":"8 April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Members of the Welkom K9 unit received information from Free State Counter Narcotics of a bus traveling from Gauteng to Cape Town on the N1 road, carrying khat plant drugs.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2fa02922208c4c44ba8a56dbd653ac6d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2fa02922208c4c44ba8a56dbd653ac6d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2fa02922208c4c44ba8a56dbd653ac6d.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2fa02922208c4c44ba8a56dbd653ac6d.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2fa02922208c4c44ba8a56dbd653ac6d.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46163,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/police-found-3-814-bundles-of-khat-plant-in-bus-on-n1-at-grasmere-tollgate-20241213\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":1},"title":"Police found 3 814 bundles of Khat plant in bus on N1 at Grasmere tollgate","author":"Vista","date":"13 December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Members attached to the Welkom K9 Unit, Welkom Flying Squad and Operation Vala Umgodi operators nabbed two suspects for drug trafficking and possession of drugs.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The police intercepted 6 600 bundles of Khat en route to Cape Town.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/317fca017dae4fc98e47f7766867d861.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55000,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/drug-plants-seized-20230118-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":2},"title":"Drug plants seized","author":"Vista","date":"19 January 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Welkom K9 unit seized the illegal drug Khat (Khat Edulis) valued at R280 000 after searching a truck travelling on the N1 at Ventersburg.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1f8e8c44575245aaa9a1fd0b2bf7393f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1f8e8c44575245aaa9a1fd0b2bf7393f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1f8e8c44575245aaa9a1fd0b2bf7393f.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1f8e8c44575245aaa9a1fd0b2bf7393f.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55015,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/truck-driver-arrested-near-ventersburg-for-the-posession-of-khat-20230116-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":3},"title":"Truck driver arrested near Ventersburg for the posession of Khat","author":"Vista","date":"16 January 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Welkom K9 Unit seized the illegal drug Khat (Khat Edulis) valued at R280 000 after they searched a truck travelling on the N1 at Ventersburg.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8a849b86122e42d1a5ff08b6451028da.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8a849b86122e42d1a5ff08b6451028da.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8a849b86122e42d1a5ff08b6451028da.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8a849b86122e42d1a5ff08b6451028da.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54426,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/drugs-found-on-bus-20230303\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":4},"title":"Drugs found on bus","author":"Vista","date":"3 March 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Acting on a tip-off from the provincial counter narcotics unit, members of the Welkom K9 Unit arrested three suspects for possession of drugs, illegal immigration and suspected counterfeit goods.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ae2d7936f5d4103834a367d40824fbe.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ae2d7936f5d4103834a367d40824fbe.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ae2d7936f5d4103834a367d40824fbe.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ae2d7936f5d4103834a367d40824fbe.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53201,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/odendaalsrus-police-crack-down-on-known-drug-houses-20230626\/","url_meta":{"origin":79138,"position":5},"title":"Odendaalsrus police crack down on drug houses","author":"Vista","date":"26 June 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The homes of two known drug dealers were targeted, and four people were arrested during an organised operation in Kutloanong, Odendaalsrus.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/92492d1b30a643ada6e0e740a25c2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/92492d1b30a643ada6e0e740a25c2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/92492d1b30a643ada6e0e740a25c2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/92492d1b30a643ada6e0e740a25c2013.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79138"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=79138"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=79138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}