South African Police Service (SAPS)
🇿🇦 South Africa · Police · 31 reports
- People arrested
- 50
- Cannabis seized
- 8.56144 t
Totals of what these reports state; a report counts when a source it cites names the agency.
55-year-old held with 14 bags of dagga worth R662,400 on the R81 at Malamulele
Police stopped a red SUV on the R81 road at Ximuwini near Malamulele and found 14 plastic refuse bags of dagga, which Limpopo police valued at an estimated R662,400. The 55-year-old driver was detained at Malamulele Police Station and was due in the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on 9 November on a charge of dealing in dagga.
Arrested 1Charged 1Driver flees as police find 452 kg of dagga in truck near Parys
Free State police stopped a truck on the N1 south on 7 November 2026 and found 452 one-kilogram bales of dagga, but the driver jumped out of the moving vehicle about 100 metres from Parys police station and escaped on foot. The truck was impounded and its owner questioned; no arrest for the load had been reported.
Cannabis 452 kgKwaZulu-Natal man held at Mahamba with 158.2 kg of dagga
Mpumalanga police stopped a 39-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal in a white Nissan NP200 at Mahamba before dawn on 3 November 2026 and found 30 rolls holding 158.2 kg of compressed dagga, which they valued at R1 million. He was charged with dealing in dagga and was expected in the Mkhondo Magistrate's Court on 5 November.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 158.2 kgMitchells Plain dagga raid draws theft case against police
Police Anti-Gang Unit officers raided a Rastafarian home in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, on 10 October 2026, arresting one person and seizing dagga. The family alleges warrantless entry, theft of R2,500 rent money and a forced cannabis gummy, and SAPS has opened a criminal case against its own members over the cash-theft claim.
Arrested 1Two Tanzanians held with 991.5 kg dagga at Baobab tollgate
BMA and SAPS officers stopped a white Toyota Hilux with a padlocked canopy at the Baobab Toll Plaza on 18 September 2026 and found 33 bags holding 991.5 kg of dagga worth R1.5 million. The two Tanzanian occupants were arrested for dealing in dagga and due in the Musina court on 21 September.
Arrested 2Cannabis 991.5 kg101 kg of suspected marijuana seized at Tsupane, 4 arrested
Soldiers of the General Botha Regiment seized about 101.65 kg of suspected marijuana in six bags at Tsupane in the Free State after the driver fled. Four suspects who arrived to collect the drugs were arrested after allegedly trying to bribe the soldiers and were handed to SAPS in Wepener.
Arrested 4Cannabis 101.65 kgFive foreigners held over R1m hydroponic dagga lab in De Deur
Gauteng police arrested five foreign nationals at a hydroponic dagga laboratory in De Deur, Sedibeng. Police valued the seized dagga at about R1-million and also recovered two firearms.
Arrested 5Sites 1Truck driver held with 630 kg of dagga at Oshoek border
Police arrested a truck driver at the Oshoek Port of Entry on 17 August 2026 after finding 49 bags of suspected dagga weighing about 630 kg in his Volvo truck. The consignment, valued by police at more than R4 million, was seized along with the Eswatini-registered truck.
Arrested 1Cannabis 630 kgZimbabwean driver held with R300,000 dagga at Giyani stop
Police in Giyani, Limpopo stopped a Nissan Qashqai on 3 June 2026 and found bagged dagga valued at R300,000, arresting Zimbabwean driver Lovers Moyo. Moyo appeared in the Giyani Magistrate's Court and was remanded in custody until 12 June for a bail application.
Arrested 1Charged 1671.5 kg of dagga seized from Eswatini truck at Oshoek border
Border Management Authority, Sars and police officers found 50 bags of dagga weighing about 671.5 kg, valued at R2.8 million, in a truck trailer at the Oshoek Port of Entry on 16 March 2026. The driver fled and was being hunted; the truck, dagga and 916 illicit tyres in the same load were seized and a criminal case opened.
Cannabis 671.5 kgVehicles confiscated 1Two held on N2 near Mahamba with 200kg dagga worth R1.2m
Mahamba police stopped a truck on the N2 on 4 December 2025 and found six bags holding about 200kg of compressed dagga valued at R1.2 million. Two Zimbabwean men were charged with dealing in dagga and remanded in custody to 28 January 2026.
Arrested 2Charged 2Cannabis 200 kgVehicles confiscated 1Man held with 90 bags of R4m dagga after Dundee car chase
A 32-year-old man was arrested in Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal, on the night of 5 August 2025 after police chased and stopped his car and found 90 bags of compressed dagga, valued by police at about R4 million. He was charged with dealing in dagga and was due in the Dundee Magistrate's Court on 6 August.
Arrested 1Charged 1Three held on N2 with 45kg dagga from eSwatini
Police stopped a minibus on the N2 between Pongola and Piet Retief and arrested three occupants after finding eight rolls of dagga. The 45kg haul, valued at about R67,500, was allegedly being moved from eSwatini to KwaZulu-Natal.
Arrested 3Charged 3Cannabis 45 kgLesotho man held on N4 near eMalahleni with 259 kg of dagga
Members of the Middelburg flying squad stopped a 49-year-old Lesotho national's bakkie on the N4 near eMalahleni during Operation Shanela and found 13 bags of dagga weighing about 259 kg. Police valued the load at about R260,000 and charged him with possession of and dealing in dagga ahead of a hearing in the eMalahleni Magistrate's Court.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 259 kgSAPS dismantles R40 million hydroponic cannabis lab in Magaliesburg
A multidisciplinary SAPS team raided a small holding in Magaliesburg on 18 July 2024 and dismantled a fully operational hydroponic cannabis laboratory valued at about R40 million. Seven suspects of five nationalities were arrested with plants, chemicals, equipment, a signal jammer and ammunition.
Arrested 7Eswatini man held at Mahamba with 3.9 kg dagga taped to his waist
Mpumalanga police arrested a 43-year-old Eswatini national, Bhekithemba Simelane, during a stop-and-search of a minibus taxi on the N2 near the Mahamba port of entry on 20 February 2024, finding 3.922 kg of dagga wrapped around his body. He was charged with dealing in dagga, appeared in the Piet Retief Magistrate's Court the next day and was remanded in custody until 6 March 2024.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 3.922 kg31-year-old held at Mjejane with six bags of dagga addressed to Gauteng
Mpumalanga traffic officers and a police officer chased down a Toyota Corolla at Mjejane near Komatipoort on 14 February 2024 and found six large bags of dagga marked with names and addresses, said to be bound for Gauteng. The 31-year-old driver was charged with dealing in dagga and reckless driving and was due in the Komatipoort Magistrate's Court.
Arrested 1Charged 1Two tonnes of dagga found in truck trailers on the N1 near Laingsburg
Provincial traffic officers stopped a truck on the N1 between Laingsburg and Leeu-Gamka on 25 November 2023 and found 40 bags of compressed cannabis weighing two tonnes, valued at R16 million. The driver was arrested and detained at the Laingsburg police station.
Arrested 1Cannabis 2 t895 kg of dagga seized from a vehicle trailer on the N1 at Worcester
Worcester police, acting on information from the public, stopped a light-duty vehicle with a trailer on 18 November 2023 and seized 895 kg of high-grade dagga packed in five plastic containers, valued at R7.1 million. Two occupants aged 34 and 36 were arrested on a charge of dealing in drugs.
Arrested 2Cannabis 895 kgMpumalanga police find 500 kg dagga under coal in truck, arrest driver
A 56-year-old truck driver was intercepted in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, on 8 August 2023 after police found 104 bags holding 500 kg of dagga hidden under a load of coal on his truck, alleged to have come from eSwatini. He was charged with dagga trafficking, and police put the consignment's street value at R1 million.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 500 kgBarberton sergeant and two Eswatini nationals held with R62 000 dagga at Burgersfort roadblock
Police at a stop-and-search roadblock on the R37 outside Burgersfort arrested a 46-year-old sergeant stationed at Barberton SAPS and two Eswatini nationals after finding three parcels of dagga in the car he was driving. Police put the street value of the dagga at R62 000, and the three were charged with possession and transportation of dagga.
Arrested 3Charged 3Man held at Mahamba with 4.3 kg dagga hidden in gas tank
Mpumalanga police arrested a 31-year-old Eswatini man at the Mahamba port of entry on 15 May 2023 after finding 4.316 kg of dagga hidden in a sealed gas cylinder. Police valued the dagga at about R18,000, and the man was charged with dagga possession and an immigration offence.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 4.316 kgMan held with 39 blocks of dagga worth R1.2m at Oshoek
Mpumalanga police arrested a 31-year-old man at the Oshoek borderline on 4 May 2022 with 39 blocks of dagga and an unlicensed firearm. Police valued the dagga at R1.2 million and seized the Toyota Hilux; the suspect was due in the Eerstehoek Magistrate's Court.
Arrested 1Hawks raid Ceres dagga farm, seizing 171 plants and 80 kg
The Hawks' narcotics bureau raided an alleged dagga farm at Bo-Swaarmoed outside Ceres on a crime-intelligence tip, seizing 171 plants and nearly 80 kg of dried dagga worth over R260,000. A 42-year-old man was arrested on a drug-dealing charge.
Arrested 1of them seized 171Cannabis 79.95 kgMan held at Jeppes Reef with 1.9 kg dagga wrapped around his body
Mpumalanga border police arrested a 27-year-old man near the Jeppes Reef border post on 18 April 2022 after finding about 1.9 kg of dagga strapped around his body on an illegal crossing from Eswatini. He was charged with possession of dagga, with police valuing the consignment at about R3 000, and was due in the Nkomazi Magistrate's Court the next day.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 1.9 kgPolice seize 1,567 kg of dagga from Pongola truck in Louwsburg
South African police acting on morning intelligence stopped a truck on the R69 in the Louwsburg policing area and found 33 bales of dry dagga weighing 1,567.5 kg, arresting two men who were due before the Louwsburg court.
Arrested 2Cannabis 1.5675 tPolice helicopters spray 500 hectares of dagga near Lusikisiki
South Africa's police air wing spent more than three weeks spraying dagga plantations around Lusikisiki with the herbicide Kilo Max, covering over 500 hectares. No one was arrested, and activists said food crops were poisoned too.
Area 500 haFive arrested as police seize 27 bags of dagga at Fort Brown roadblock
Traffic officers and police arrested five suspects at a roadblock outside the Fort Brown police station near Grahamstown, seizing 27 bags of dagga from an abandoned bakkie with an estimated street value of R500,000.
Arrested 5Two-hectare dagga plantation destroyed in Atteridgeville
Police found a two-hectare dagga plantation in the Brazzaville informal settlement in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on 10 February 2011, valued at about R5 million. Municipal workers cut the crop down the same morning and no arrests were reported.
Area 2 ha2,500 hectares of marijuana destroyed in early-2002 Hhohho raids
Swazi police, with South African police helicopters locating the fields, destroyed 2,500 hectares of marijuana in the northern Hhohho region in raids early in 2002. Growers fled as defoliants were sprayed, and Mbabane street prices rose 40 percent on the reduced crop.
Area 2,500 haSAPS reports 108 hectares of cannabis eradicated in Swaziland in May 2001
A South African Police Service briefing to parliament listed a May 2001 cannabis eradication operation in Swaziland covering 108 hectares, valued at R7.5 million. South African helicopters regularly helped locate Swazi plantations in this period.
Area 108 ha