300 kg of dagga found in abandoned house near Lesotho border
Soldiers and police searching an abandoned house at eMaswazini in KwaZulu-Natal found 300 kg of dagga, which the SANDF valued at R39 million, along with a rusted rifle and ammunition. No one was arrested over the dagga, though a suspect was held in a separate incident with two pistols.
🇿🇦 eMaswazini, near the Lesotho border, KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Arrested
0
Cannabis
300 kg
Agencies
South African National Defence Force, Upper Tugela South African Police Service
South African National Defence Force members deployed along KwaZulu-Natal’s
international border with Lesotho carried out cordon and search operations with
the Upper Tugela South African Police Service in the eMaswazini area in the
early hours of Wednesday 9 September 2020.[1]The soldiers inspecting an
abandoned residence found 300 kg of dagga, which the SANDF valued at an
estimated street value of R39 million.[1]A rusted rifle and four live rounds
were found with the dagga.[1]No one was found at the house and no arrests
were made over the dagga.[2]A police spokesperson said the operation led to
the recovery of a rifle and six bags of dagga at a home at eMaswazini Reserve.[2]
The force’s Joint Operations Division said a suspect was arrested in a separate
incident that morning after he was found with two 9 mm pistols, a magazine and
31 rounds of ammunition.[3]The SANDF statement issued the same day likewise
said a suspect was arrested in another incident after he was found in possession
of two 9mm pistols and a magazine with 31 live rounds.[1]
DefenceWeb reported that the operation near the South Africa/Lesotho border was
believed to be part of regular anti-crime work under Operation Notlela, the
SANDF’s tasking in support of the national state of disaster to combat the
spread of coronavirus.[3]The DefenceWeb account lists other recent border and
police successes, including a Hawks heroin seizure, but those are separate
events.[3]
Photos and video
Packets of dagga seized by soldiers during the cordon and search operation on South Africa's Lesotho border. Photo: SANDFPhoto details
defenceWebdefenceweb.co.zaBig dagga bust on Lesotho border latest in string of border security successes
Open questions the AI reported
The sources describe eMaswazini as an area and as the eMaswazini Reserve near the KwaZulu-Natal border with Lesotho; no town is named, so the coordinates mark the wider district area and are approximate.
The SANDF gives a value of R39 million for the 300 kg; it does not say how the street value was calculated.
The IOL account says police reported six bags of dagga, while the SANDF statement does not give a package count; the 300 kg weight is used.
No charges, prosecutions or court outcome were reported in the opened accounts.
The DefenceWeb report puts the operation under Operation Notlela, the SANDF's coronavirus state-of-disaster tasking; the SANDF statement does not name the operation.
The DefenceWeb article also covers separate events that week, including a Hawks heroin seizure in Hluhluwe and non-cannabis arrests under Operation O Kae Molao, which are left out of this report.
The arrest with two pistols and ammunition is a separate firearms incident reported alongside the dagga seizure; it is not counted as a cannabis arrest.
The operation's own name, if any, and the subordinate SANDF unit involved were not reported.
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.
Soldiers of 10 South African Infantry Battalion seized 78 kg of dagga valued at R473,000 during Operation CORONA patrols in the Musina area along the Limpopo River. The SANDF said the cannabis was allegedly intended to be smuggled into South Africa.
Police stopped a white Isuzu truck on the N4 near Vandyksdrift on 19 October and found 55 bags of compressed dagga weighing 1,680 kg, which they valued at R12 million. Two men who arrived in a Polo and allegedly offered the officers money were arrested with the driver.
Secunda Flying Squad officers found 103 kg of dagga worth about R800,000 in a Gauteng-registered Honda Civic stopped on the N17 near Leandra on 19 October 2026. The driver abandoned the car and fled on foot; the vehicle and the dagga were seized.
