Dagga smugglers arrested at Oshoek Border

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Officers from the Oshoek Border Policing Unit arrested two male suspects from the Kingdom of Eswatini, aged 27 and 44, on charges of dealing in dagga worth more than R385 000.

The two were nabbed at the Oshoek Port of Entry around 06:00 on Saturday.

The arrest was effected when the pair, driving through the border, tried their luck to smuggle a consignment of dagga from the Kingdom of Eswatini into South Africa.

However, police officers were on guard and whilst searching the white Hino truck (with registration number plates from the Kingdom of Eswatini), they noticed something sinister inside the handcraft items they were transporting.

When further inspecting the concealed items, the members discovered dagga weighing approximately 91.80 kilograms, with an estimated street value of about R385 560.

A preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the two were possibly heading to Johannesburg but fortunately, their alleged mission was intercepted by the men and women in blue.

The investigators are working in collaboration with officials from the Department of Home Affairs to ascertain the status of the two suspects in the country and police investigations are continues.

The two men are to appear in the Chief Albert Magistrates' Court on Monday facing dagga smuggling charges. – SAnews.gov.za