Free State | Excelsior Magistrate Court
A 42-year-old man, the third suspect allegedly connected to the ‘Project Dead Road’, is set for his initial appearance at the Excelsior Magistrates’ Court on charges of drug dealing and the illegal trade in firearms and ammunition, on 18 March 2024.
In a recent crackdown by the Hawks’ Bloemfontein-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, the suspect was arrested on 15 March 2024 at his Bloemfontein apartment. This marked another significant step in dismantling the network that has been plaguing the community with narcotics and weapons.
Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti, speaking on behalf of the police, elaborated on the progress of the case. “Barend Jansen (57) and Edrick ‘Marshall’ Brummer (58) were taken into custody on 20 February 2024 in connection to ‘Project Dead Road’. On 14 March 2024, both suspects stood before the judge for bail application at the Tweespruit Magistrates’ Court where they were granted bail at R20,000 for Brummer and R17,000 for Jansen,” Matoti provided.
The origins of ‘Project Dead Road’ date back to a community meeting called by the residents of Thaba Phatswa, a town situated east of Bloemfontein, on 12 October 2021. The townsfolk poured out their grievances to Hawks officers over the vexing drug issue within their town, specifically lamenting the rampant use of mandrax and crystal meth by minors. It was in this atmosphere of communal distress that ‘Project Dead Road’ took root, resulting in multiple sting operations and the seizure of an illegal firearm during one of the exchanges.