A 13-year-old Cape Town boy was arrested with 10 dagga cigarettes in what police suspect is a gang-related incident.

The boy was arrested in Hanover Park over the weekend by City of Cape Town metro police officers.

The mayoral committee member for safety and security‚ JP Smith‚ said it was suspected that the boy was being used as a drug-runner by the gangs.

“We know that gangs and drug dealers use children for their dirty work‚ but it still smarts when our officers catch children involved in illicit activities‚” Smith said on Monday.

The boy was one of 20 people arrested in the past week for drunken driving‚ possession of stolen property‚ malicious damage to council property and possession of drugs.

The city said it also confiscated close to 50 000 litres of alcohol‚ 6 725 bottles of beer‚ wine and other spirits.

City by-laws prohibit alcohol at beaches and empower law enforcement officers to confiscate the booze and issue fines. Confiscated alcohol is kept at a city store in Ndabeni.

Smith said that since last Thursday 47 drivers had been arrested at roadblocks for alleged drink-driving.

“It’s already been a busy month and the peak days are still ahead‚ so I appeal to the public to keep their wits about them at all times‚” he said.

“Leave the alcohol at home‚ get a designated driver if you insist on drinking and exercise extreme caution when swimming.”

There had already been five holiday-season drownings in Cape Town and “we don’t want to lose anyone else in this manner“. — TMG Digital