Nelspruit: 09 August 2023 - A 56 year old truck driver from the Kingdom of Eswatini was arrested for allegedly concealing dagga under the load of coal. The recovery happened in Middelburg yesterday, 08 August 2023. Police received information about a truck that was loaded with coal and underneath the coal there were more than 100 bags stuffed with dagga. It is alleged that the dagga was coming from the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Police immediately responded to the matter tipoff. The truck which fitted the description was spotted and immediately attended to. Upon searching the truck with the help of a Bidvest Security sniffing dog, the information turned to be positive and dagga was found hidden under the coal load. He was requested to offload the truck.
104 bags of dagga were recovered with names written on each bag. The dagga weighed 500kg with an estimated street value of one Million Rand. He was arrested and charged for dagga trafficking. He will appear in Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 10 August 2023.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has welcomed the arrest of the suspects and appreciated the information provided by community members.“Dagga traffickers should know by now that their time has come to an end more especially in Mpumalanga roads”, said the General.