ELUKWATINI – Three men, who were arrested for possession of dagga worth over R300 000 appeared before the Eerstehoek Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Two of the men were acquitted of their charges. This was after one of the men, Thulani Mamba (31), admitted in court that the dagga belonged to him. Mamba is expected to reappear before the same court today for formal bail application.
The three were arrested last week Monday after police received a tip-off about a Toyota Corrolla, which had been seen loading numerous bags of dagga at Sibubule Village in Ekulindeni.
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The officers’ prompt response to the tip-off led them to a huge success as they spotted the vehicle fitting the description.
According to Serg Peace Mbokane, Elukwatini police spokesman, upon stopping the vehicle, they requested the men to alight-off so that the vehicle can be searched.
“One black bag was found at the back seat and it contained compressed dagga. As the search continued, further three 50 kilogram sacks of maize meal bags containing compressed dagga were discovered. The dagga was sealed with sello tapes and packed in black refuse bags,” said Mbokane.
He said the officials wanted to know what the bags had and who they belonged to.
“The suspect who was driving the vehicle confessed that the bags contained dagga belonging to him and his friend. He further revealed that they had just bought the dagga from the third suspect, Mamba and that he was escorting them out of the area when the police stopped them.
This was believed by the police because Mamba is well known in the Ekulindeni area as he resides there,” continued Mbokane.
Mbokane said the two other men apparently hail from Potchefstroom at a location called Fochville.
“They also informed the police that they were transporting the dagga to Fochville where it sells like hot cakes and that they definitely were going to make a good profit. The trio was then arrested and their vehicle was also seized and has been safely kept at the police station. When weighed, the dagga was found to be 30,595 kg and it is estimated to a street value of R300 000,” added Mbokane.
