A 42-year-old court cleaner was arrested on Monday after Wynberg police caught him attempting to smuggle drugs into the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court.

Acting on intelligence that the suspect, employed as a cleaner at the court, intended to deliver contraband to a detainee, officers went to the court at approximately 07:30 on Monday 28 September and apprehended the suspect in the act. They seized a bag containing 88 Mandrax tablets, 10 packets of tobacco, seven packets of crystal meth, five packets of dagga, a cellphone with two SIM cards and a charging cable.

Second search uncovers larger cache

The following day, Tuesday 29 September, police conducted a further search of the suspect’s office within the court building. They discovered a second bag, allegedly belonging to the suspect, containing a significantly larger quantity of contraband: 402 Mandrax tablets, 41 sachets of crystal meth, one packet of cocaine, five packets of dagga, 14 cellphones with 16 SIM cards and two phone chargers. The bag and its contents were seized and booked in as an exhibit.

The suspect is scheduled to make his first court appearance before the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 30 September 2026.