Ten police officers appeared at the Bergville and Ladysmith magistrate’s courts on Thursday, August 11 facing corruption charges.
They were released by the court on bail of R1 000 each and their cases were remanded to August 15.

These arrests are as a result of a long-term multi-disciplinary investigation conducted in the Bergville area to curb the smuggling of dagga. During the investigation, the team received information that police officers were also complicit in the drug smuggling and were, in some cases, aiding the smugglers.

For the duration of the investigation, several police officers were observed during dagga smuggling operations in the Upper Tugela and Bergville areas. Following an intensive investigation, the suspects were swiftly arrested last Wednesday by provincial detectives and other operational units.

These police officers who are aged between 30 and 55 were immediately served with notices informing them that they are suspended from the police service. All ten of these police officers were stationed at Upper Tugela, Ematsheni and Bergville police stations.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded the arrest of these police officials.

“It is totally unacceptable to find police officers complicit in the trafficking of drugs. These arrests once again demonstrate that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is willing to act on police officers that are accused of committing crimes. As the investigation progresses, we can expect more arrests,” she said.