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Nigerian drug cartel busted in Johannesburg

A drug cartel run by Nigerians in South Africa has been dismantled with the ring leaders arrested.

The derogatory name for Nigerians based in South Africa is Kwerekwere, a name given because to citizens of that country, all Nigerians are a bunch drug dealers and criminals of all sorts.

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And many Nigerians themselves do not do anything to clean up the image of the country, just as another drug cartel run by the west Africans in Berea, the popular drug capital of Johannesburg, was busted by the South African narcotics agents popularly known as the Hawks yesterday, Wednesday, 7 January, 2015.

According to a report carried by South African paper, Times Lives, the Hawks raided the Highrise flats in Berea which is home to many Nigerians and did a thorough search and arrested five men who were behind a cross country drug cartel which specializes in bringing in drugs from South American countries and distributing them in southern African countries.

The leader of the Hawks team, Captain Paul Ramaloko said in a statement:

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"The Nigerians are allegedly part of a bigger syndicate involved in the trade of drugs in the area. When the team searched their flat they found 1kg of heroin and 500g of cocaine rocks with a street value of R375,000.

When the men were asked to identify themselves, they presented asylum papers."

Acting national head of the Hawks, Maj-Gen Mthandazo Ntlemeza, lauded the Hawks for 'dismantling a Nigerian drug-smuggling ring.'

"We have no shelter for drug dealers in this country, nor do we have a safe place for drug storage.

These substances and their precursors are ravaging our communities. We are serious when we say we want to close the drug market in this country."

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