Truck 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.
🇿🇦 Oshoek Port of Entry, Mpumalanga · South Africa
Mpumalanga police arrested a truck driver for possession of dagga, the South
African term for cannabis, at the Oshoek Port of Entry on the border with the
Kingdom of Eswatini.[1][2]The arrest took place at about 1:30am on Monday, 17
August 2026, on the South African arrival side from the Kingdom of Eswatini.[3]The suspect was subsequently arrested and detained at Hartebeeskop SAPS.[1]The suspect is expected to appear in court on a charge of dealing in dagga.[3]
During the search, police discovered 49 bags containing suspected dagga with a
combined weight of approximately 630 kg.[1][2]The seized truck, a Volvo horse
and trailer with Kingdom of Eswatini registration and reportedly belonging to a
logistics company based in the Kingdom of Eswatini was also seized.[1]
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Mpho Nonyane-Mpe said the search was carried out by officials on search duties, and that police were still establishing the consignment’s origin and intended destination and whether other people were linked to the drug trade.[2]
Photos and video
The truck with the seized bags of dagga at Oshoek. Photo: @SAPoliceService via SABC News.Photo details
The arrested driver's name, age and nationality were not published.
No court date or outcome was reported beyond the expected first appearance on a charge of dealing in dagga.
The 630 kg weight and R4 million value are approximate police estimates, not confirmed laboratory or audited figures.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in The South African: Police estimate the consignment's street value at more than R4 million.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in The South African: Investigators are tracing the consignment's origin and destination and checking whether others were involved in the drug operation.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in The South African: Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise welcomed the arrest and seizure, saying the operation highlighted the importance of stronger law-enforcement efforts at the country's borders.
The published street value of more than R4 million is a police estimate; eNCA gives no separate breakdown of it.
No court date or outcome was reported in this account.
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.
Police and private security arrested a driver after a high-speed chase from Sinoville to Bon Accord in Pretoria on 7 November 2026. Officers seized 240kg of dagga with an estimated street value of R960,000 from the vehicle and confiscated the vehicle.
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.
Acting on a tip-off, North West police stopped 21-year-old Lusanda Nhlangothi on the N12 near Christiana and found 4.654 kg of compressed dagga packed in two 20-litre drums. He was charged, appeared in court on 29 October and was remanded until a 5 November bail hearing.
