Pretoria - Two men, aged between 30 and 35, were due to appear at the Mashishing Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga on Tuesday after being found in possession of dagga valued at more than R200 000.
“These suspects face charges relating to the dagga, to the value of about R208 000, that they were reportedly found with, and they were arrested on Sunday, 08 August 2021 at Lydenburg,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli.
“According to reports, members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) from the K9 Unit in Lydenburg were busy with their routine duties when they spotted a suspicious white double-cab Ford Ranger with Limpopo registration number plates.”
Mdhluli said the Ford Ranger bakkie was occupied by the two men.
“The said vehicle was searched and the astute members (police officers) discovered 10 bags of dagga weighing about 69.5 kilograms. The two male suspects were then arrested and charged accordingly hence their court appearance,” said Mdhluli.
“The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant- General Semakaleng Manamela, has applauded members for their vigilance and subsequent arrest of the suspects.”
Last month, the SAPS in Mpumalanga arrested a 38-year-old man on allegations of being in possession of dagga valued at R1 million following an operation conducted at Low's Creek.
At the time, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the man was found with 19 bags loaded with dagga weighing about 341.7 kilograms in his vehicle.
“Preliminary investigation has since revealed that the suspect is from the Kingdom of Eswatini and apart from the dealing in dagga charge, police indicated that there are possibilities that the suspect may face more charges relating to being in the country illegally,” said Hlathi.
African News Agency (ANA)