Two people, aged 35 and 43, were arrested by police at the Nerston port of entry bordering South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini after they were allegedly found with dagga worth almost R800,000.
Police in Mpumalanga said the two – a South African national and a Zimbabwean national – are on Monday expected to appear before the Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court, after they were arrested on Friday.
“The [SA Police Service] SAPS members from border policing were busy with their routine patrols on that day around 4.20pm along the R65 Nerston-Westoe Road when they stopped and searched a suspicious Toyota Etios which was travelling from Nerston heading towards the Westoe direction,” Colonel Donald Mdhluli said.
“The car had Gauteng registration number plates and it is further reported that the windows thereof were tinted,” he said.
“It was a shock when 38 bags of dagga, weighing at about 180.40 kilogrammes were found inside the vehicle. The value of the dagga is estimated to be around R757,680.”
The two suspects were arrested for dealing in dagga.
“One of the suspects is a South African citizen, aged 35, while the other is a Zimbabwean national, aged 43, but without documentation to be in the country. Police are working in collaboration with officials from the department of home affairs to ascertain his status,” Mdhluli said.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has commended the police officers “for the great work that they performed by intercepting the vehicle before the dagga could reach its destination”.