Pretoria – The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga has arrested a 34-year-old man for possession of dagga, estimated at about R330 000.
“An intelligence-driven operation by members of the South African Police Service in Standerton yielded positive results whereby a male suspect, aged 34, was arrested with dagga estimated at about R330 000. The man was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in Standerton,” said SAPS Mpumalanga spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
“Reports indicate that members were notified about a certain vehicle that was transporting dagga from KwaZulu-Natal province to Gauteng province.”
Mohlala said the information was then operationalised, and officers spotted the vehicle, a white Toyota Fortuner with Gauteng registration number plates, which matched the description provided.
He said the vehicle was stopped on the R23 Road, and a search conducted.
“About 12 bags stashed with dagga is said to have been discovered inside the vehicle. The suspect was arrested and charged with dealing in dagga, and he is due to appear before the Standerton Magistrate’s Court,” said Mohlala.
Provincial commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, thanked community members for their participation in the fight against crime by providing “valuable information”, which helped police in bringing the 34-year-old to book.
Last month, two men from the Northern Cape appeared in court after they were found in possession of dagga with a street value of over R1.3 million.
Tladi Tau, 41, and Tau Tau, 25, appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court after they were arrested in the Greenpoint suburb near Kimberley.
According to the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the duo were arrested after police received an intelligence report that there were people dealing in dagga at one of the premises in Greenpoint.
The court heard that upon police investigation into the claims, officers obtained a search warrant and searched the premises. During the search, officers found bags of dagga weighing in total 267.5kg.
IOL