Besides the discovery of a well-established dagga plantation near Malelane, police had several other successes relating to dagga during the first week of April:
• On March 31 Mduduzi Sipho Shongwe (22) was arrested at Matsamo Plaza, in Schoemansdal for dealing in dagga. Police found him carrying a black plastic bag containing dry, loose dagga weighing 0,12 grams.
The suspect appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on Friday, April 1, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days’ imprisonment with an option of a R300 fine.
• On April 3, Hloniphile Maseko (22) was arrested in Schoemansdal for dealing in dagga. Maseko was carrying a white plastic bag containing dry, loose dagga weighing 1,45 kilograms.
The suspect appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on April 5. She was convicted and sentenced to 60 days’ imprisonment with the option of a R1 500 fine.
• On April 4, Gcinekile Nxumalo (22) was arrested for possession of and dealing in dagga. She was travelling on a bus with dry, loose dagga in a blue bag. The drugs weighed 3,97 kilograms.
The suspected appeared in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court on April 7. She was convicted and sentenced to 60 days’ imprisonment with an option of a R2 000 fine.
• On April 5, a 23-year-old female, Thandeka Nkosi, was arrested at Jeppes Reef for drug dealing after she was found carrying a bag containing 12 balls of compressed dagga wrapped in brown tape.
She appeared in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to 60 days’ imprisonment with a option of a R3 000 fine.
• Twenty-four-year-old Nelisiwe Fakude of Buffelspruit was arrested on April 5 after being found in possession of dagga. The dagga, weighing 0,55 grams, was hidden in her house.
Fakude appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on April 7, where she was found guilty as charged and sentenced to two months’ imprisonment or a R1 000 fine.
• Two male suspects were arrested at the Jeppes Reef Border Gate on April 5 for attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. Vusie Nhlanganiso Gwebu (25) and Mduduzi Manqoba Shongwe (27) were charged with drug dealing, after dagga weighing 5,3 kilograms was found hidden in the spare wheel of the vehicle they were travelling in.
Both suspects appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on April 7, and were sentenced to three months’ imprisonment or a R3 000 fine each.
• An elderly man was apprehended at the Jeppes Reef Border Gate on April 6 for dealing in dagga. Sikhumbuzo Alex Mazibuko (42) was travelling in his vehicle when he was stopped and found to be carrying dagga weighing 2,582 kilograms.
Mazibuko appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on April 7 and was sentenced to 60 days’ imprisonment or a R3 000 fine.
Read about Malalane SAPS’ recent discovery of a huge dagga plantation here.
