Mbombela – A 39-year-old man who was found in possession of 300 kilogrammes of cannabis with an estimated street value of R700 000, has been given a R70 000 fine.
The Directorate for Priority Crime investigation (Hawks) said on Monday that Matthews Vilakazi was found guilty and sentenced by the Carolina Magistrate's Court on Friday. Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said Vilakazi was handed a R70 000 fine or two years imprisonment.
His Toyota double cab 4x4, valued at R100,000, was also forfeited to the state.
In addition, the magistrate also handed down a four-year sentence, suspended for four years, on condition that he not be found guilty of the same offence.
According to Sekgotodi, on 28 July 2016, members of the Hawks in Mpumalanga received information about a man from one of the neighbouring countries who had entered South Africa with cannabis, and following up on the information, arrested Vilakazi.