Pretoria - A 31-year-old man has been arrested in Mpumalanga after he was allegedly caught smuggling dagga concealed in a sealed gas tank.
Spokesperson for the police in Mpumalanga, Colonel Donald Mdhluli said the alert police officers intercepted the man, cut open the gas tank and found dagga with a street value of around R18 000.
“Police in Mpumalanga have strengthened security measures when it comes to dagga trafficking from neighbouring countries, including the Kingdom of Eswatini,” Mdhluli said.
“As a result, a suspect, 31, was arrested on Monday, 15 May 2023 at about 11.30am, after being reportedly caught in the act by the SAPS members from Mahamba port of entry.”
He said security had been tightened on South Africa’s borderline where false vehicle compartments were uncovered recently.
“A new tactic was discovered by the police officers when an undocumented foreign national from the Kingdom of Eswatini was nabbed with a gas cylinder which was sealed, but fully loaded with dagga,” said Mdhluli.
“The suspect was spotted by police officials, with a plastic bag containing the gas cylinder. On suspicion, the cylinder was thoroughly checked and police could notice that it was sealed.
“However, they suspected that it could be loaded with something else other than gas. That was when police cut open the cylinder and then discovered dagga weighing 4 316kg.”
He said the 31-year-old man was arrested and charged for possession of dagga, as well as being in South Africa without valid documentation.
The detained man is expected to appear in the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court today.
IOL