Two men arrested after 180kg dagga seizure in Mpumalanga

Two foreign nationals have been arrested after police allegedly found about 180kg of dagga worth an estimated R1 million in a vehicle during a crime-combating operation in Morgenzon, Mpumalanga.

The men, aged 30 and 40, were arrested on the R39 Road at about 8.30am on Thursday after members of the Morgenzon SAPS and Secunda Flying Squad stopped a white Volkswagen Golf.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said officers were conducting an operation in the Morgenzon policing precinct when they spotted the vehicle with Mpumalanga registration plates.

Police stopped and searched the Golf, allegedly discovering 21 bags containing dagga.

“The weight of the dagga is about 180 kilograms with an estimated street value of about R1 million,” Ndubane said.

Both occupants were arrested at the scene, while the dagga was confiscated as part of the investigation.

Police said preliminary investigations established that both suspects were foreign nationals.

Authorities are now working with the Department of Home Affairs to establish their immigration status and determine whether they are legally in South Africa.

“Police are working collaboratively with officials from the Department of Home Affairs to ascertain the status of the suspects in the country,” Ndubane said.

The two men are expected to appear in the Standerton Magistrate’s Court in due course on charges of dealing in dagga.

Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise praised the officers involved in the operation for the arrests and seizure.

Modise thanked members for their teamwork and warned criminals that police would continue intensifying operations across the province.

She warned that “in Mpumalanga, police will not rest until it is a crime-free province”.

IOL News