South Africa News

How South Africans as young as 8 are shooting up deadly drug

The Mpumalanga coal-mining towns of eMalahleni and Middelburg have been “decimated” by the trade, as they are a popular stop for truckers ferrying the deadly drug along the N4 from Mozambique ports to Johannesburg.

Drugs

South Africa has emerged as a key player in the global distribution of heroin, according to a multinational research report.

Children as young as eight in these towns are peddling heroin in schools, with one rehab reporting that they have treated 48 children for heroin addiction in the past year.

The report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime and Interpol says corrupt police and customs officials have allowed international drug traffickers to swarm into South Africa.

It names Gauteng’s City Deep container depot as a heroin smugglers’ haven and says 75,000 South Africans inject heroin daily, the highest number in Africa.

Source: Times Live