| 2024/08/31 |
Media Statement EASTERN CAPE – The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya has commended the exceptional efforts of the investigating team following the discovery of a large-scale clandestine laboratory dedicated to the cultivation of hydroponic cannabis. On the scene Major General Ngwenya highly expressed his gratitude to the team for the hard work of eradicating high-level criminal activities in the province. The Gqeberha based Serious Organised Crime Investigation South African Nacotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) unit in collaboration with the Operational Response Services Gqeberha and East London, Visible Policing Unit Port Alfred, Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) and Criminal Intelligence Management Analysis Centre (CIMAC), acted on a search warrant, where the team converged on a property located on Mooiplaas Quarry Road in Port Alfred. The investigating team made a significant breakthrough as they were executing the search. The team uncovered a sophisticated hydrophonic cannabis cultivation laboratory. The team further discovered cannabis plants being grown under controlled conditions and various products, including dried cannabis and CBD oils. The laboratory was also allegedly used for packaging these cannabis products, ready for distribution. The swift action of the Hawks and other law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of five (5) suspects aged between 22 and 36 at the scene, including three undocumented foreign nationals and two South African males. Furthermore, various exhibits were seized and specialists from the National Forensic Science Laboratory were called in to apply their expertise in processing the scene. The arrested suspects are set to appear before the Port Alfred Magistrate’s Court on 2 September 2024, where they will face charges related to the Contravention of Immigration Act, Drug Trafficking Act and dealing in Narcotics medicine Act. Major General Ngwenya concluded his statement by commending the Hawks' systematic investigative mechanisms aimed at dismantling organized crime networks and bringing perpetrators to justice. "This success is proof of the relentless efforts of our members to uproot criminality in our communities," he said Ends
Enquiries:
X Twitter: https://twitter.com/SAPoliceService |