Three of the 16 suspects who were arrested during the take-down of a syndicate of drug traffickers and who appeared in the Oudtshoorn Magistrates Court on Friday are residents from George.
The supects, 36-year-old Vladimir Gordon, 44 year old Malvyn Jacobs and 36-year-old Louis Emezo appeared alongside 13 other suspects who reside in Oudtshoorn, Gqeberha, Ladismith, De Rust and Calitzdorp.
The arrests on Thursday stem from a series of raids across the Southern Cape and Gqeberha.
All the suspects are in custody except for one man who is out on warning.
The case was postponed until 20 March for the accused to appoint legal representation.
They face charges of dealing in drugs and money laundering.
It is alleged that the main target had been operating in the drug trade in the Oudtshoorn area for decades.
Spokesperson for the Hawks Zinzi Hani said the syndicate was mainly operating in the Garden Route.
Since the inception of this operation from 2019 until now, a total of 5 000 Mandrax tablets and 800 grams of tik to the value of R400 000 were seized from the suspects.
