The Mpumalanga police seized dagga worth an estimated street value of R4.7m in Delmas on Thursday, October 10.
The Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Jackie Macie, commended the police for the successful bust.
“The proliferation of drugs and illicit goods is bad for the social fabric of the society and the lives of many young people. The abuse of drugs, including dagga, contributes to crime and many other social ills. Therefore, communities must work with the police and other members of the security cluster to bring to book those who are involved in illegal drug trading,” Macie said.
The police followed up on the information they received about a specific truck that was travelling from eSwatini to Johannesburg along the N12.
Joint efforts by the Delmas SAPS, Middelburg K9 Unit, Middelburg Flying Squad, as well as Mpumalanga Covert Intelligence, intercepted the truck on the N12 towards the Dryden off-ramp.
During the bust, a 30-year-old eSwatinian was arrested and will appear in a court soon.
According to the Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the police members smelled a strong odour of dagga during the initial search on the N12.
Mdhluli said the truck was escorted to the Delmas SAPS, where a K9 narcotics dog was directed for a further search.
“It was during this time that a hidden compartment at the back was discovered. In it 63 balls of dagga were found wrapped in brown sellotape. The balls were marked and it is suspected that the parcels were possibly packaged for distribution in a place currently unknown. The weight of the dagga was recorded to be 1 180kg,” Mdhluli said.
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Macie added that people get arrested frequently for smuggling drugs into the country.
“This needs to end for the sake of our children. Drugs destroy our country and there are far-reaching consequences on the health and mental wellness of drug users. Furthermore, government spends billions of rands on healthcare and welfare services to deal with the consequences of drugs and substance abuse.”
