A police captain is expected to appear in the Sabie Magistrate’s Court on Monday after he was arrested on Friday for trafficking dagga in a certain plantation in Sabie.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala says some security guards were patrolling the grounds at a plantation in Sabie when they noticed a police bakkie in the bushes.

“They went to check what was happening. To their surprise, the guards reportedly saw two males, one a SAPS captain, though not wearing his uniform at the time, while the other one was wearing a SAPS boiler suit.

“The captain was the driver of the said bakkie. It is further alleged that the two were in possession of some bags wrapped with sticky tape.

“The man in the boiler suit reportedly ran away upon noticing the guards, leaving behind the driver, who is said to have also tried to escape with the police bakkie, but the security officers used their bakkie to block him,” Mohlala explains.

He says the bags were checked and inside they found dagga weighing 22.48kg, with an estimated street value of about R33 720.

“The police captain is alleged to have tried to bribe the guards, begging them to let him go, and promised to offer one bag of dagga to be sold for their own profit, however, the security officers said they refused this offer,” adds Mohlala.

He says the officer was apprehended and the Sabie SAPS were notified.

He was charged with dealing in dagga, the use of a state vehicle without the owner’s consent, attempting to defeat the ends of justice and corruption.

The possibility also remains that more charges could be levelled against the suspect as the investigation continues. The police are still in pursuit of the man who fled.