Tik worth R12 000 found in Boksburg prison cell as inmate faces drug charge

A 41-year-old inmate has been charged with dealing in drugs after police searching his cell and locker at the Boksburg prison recovered crystal meth with an estimated street value of R12 000.

Joshua Belden Swarts appeared briefly before the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court, where the matter was postponed to 26 January 2027 for further investigation.

The search was carried out by members of the Northern Cape Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, acting on intelligence received as part of project Ditto, according to the South African Police Service.

Two cellphones were found under Swarts’s pillow during the cell search. A Department of Correctional Services internal search a week earlier had already turned up another cellphone in his possession, bringing the number found on him to three.

Possession of a stolen vehicle was added to the docket after police established that a vehicle reported stolen was in his possession before he was incarcerated during the project Ditto takedown.

The police statement did not say how the drugs or the phones are alleged to have entered the prison, and no date has been given for the next appearance beyond the January postponement.

Swarts remains in custody.