Up in smoke! Police bust dagga worth millions this weekend

A three-month police operation has finally busted a sophisticated dagga plantation in the Western Cape. Another police chase also finds hundreds of kilograms of dagga in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.

OVER R1 MILLION WORTH OF DAGGA UNCOVERED

The police concluded a three-month investigation on a dagga plantation on Friday. This probe started in June after a tip-off on illicit activities at a house in George.

In an effort to eradicate the selling and distribution of drugs, the police finally pounced on the premises on Friday, 2 September.

The police team comprised of the Western Cape Organised Crime Investigators from the narcotics section, the Garden Route District Intelligence and George Crime Prevention Unit. Armed with a search warrant, they descended on the premises at Stemmet Street in Blanco.

There they discovered an indoor dagga cultivation laboratory where dagga of high quality was cultivated, police spokesperson Sergeant Christopher Spies said.

Police found drugs and cultivating equipment with an estimated street value of R1.1 million, he said.

“They confiscated 38 dagga trees, numerous containers and parcels of dried dagga. Cultivating equipment as well as two cellphones were found on the premises. The occupant of the premises was subsequently arrested on charges of cultivating and dealing drugs.”

Sergeant Christopher Spies

The man is expected to appear in the George Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

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ANOTHER WEED BUST IN KZN AT THE WEEKEND

But on Saturday, police traced a vehicle which was transporting dagga in KwaZulu-Natal.

At around 15h30, members of the Eshowe Task team were patrolling around the R66 near Siza garage. This after they received a tip off about suspects en route transporting dagga, said police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala.

“While the police were at Siza, they spotted the two vehicles and tried to stop them but the suspects just sped off. Officers immediately alerted Gingindlovu South African Police Service detectives for backup.”

CHASE FOR CANNABIS ENSUES

A police chase ensued where they went after the two vehicles as they failed to stop at Gingindlovu when they were flagged by the backup officers.

“Eshowe Task Team together with Gingindlovu detectives chased the vehicles and caught the suspects at Dokodweni, Gingindlovu policing area.”

But one of the suspects managed to flee on foot. The other two suspects, aged 26 and 36 years, were arrested.

“The suspects were coming from Piet Retief, proceeding to Durban. The dagga weighed 346.6kg to the street value of R1.2 million.”

The two suspects are also expected to appear in court on Monday for possession of dagga.

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