1 arrested after R5m dagga bust in Mbombela

A tip-off led authorities to a multimillion-rand drug bust after cannabis weighing 893.05kg was found inside a Toyota Quantum.

A suspect was arrested, and R5m worth of dagga was seized when a vehicle was searched in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, yesterday, reports Lowvelder.

Members of the Mpumalanga police Anti-hijacking Task Team (AHTT) were conducting routine tracking and tracing operations when they received a tip-off at around 17:00.

Information provided referred to a Toyota Quantum minibus that was believed to be transporting illicit substances.

“Acting swiftly on the information, the team mobilised and upon arrival members of the AHTT discovered that the Mbombela Law Enforcement Intervention Team had already stopped the vehicle in the Mbombela CBD,” says Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe.

A Toyota Quantum carries R5m worth of dagga. Photo: Supplied/SAPS

When the vehicle was searched, dagga weighing 893.05kg, with an estimated value of R5m was discovered. In addition to the 25 bags of compressed dagga, police also confiscated R3 337 in cash.

Thousands of rands in cash is seized during the operation. Photo: Supplied/SAPS

“The 29-year-old driver was arrested and has been charged with possession and dealing in drugs,” says Nonyane-Mpe.

“The vehicle used in the commission of the crime was also confiscated.”

The suspect is expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

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Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo is a senior journalist based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. He is the former Bureau Chief of the Sowetan Newspaper in Mpumalanga. Riot has written for more than 16 publications in South Africa and abroad. He is also a former journalist at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
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