101 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.
🇿🇦 Tsupane, near Wepener, Free State · South Africa
Soldiers of the General Botha Regiment’s Platoon 1 Charlie Section, deployed
under Operation Corona in the Free State, attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle
during a night operation at Tsupane.[1]The driver abandoned the vehicle and
fled on foot, leaving behind six black bags containing suspected marijuana.[1]Four suspects who later arrived at the scene to collect the drugs were arrested
after allegedly attempting to bribe the soldiers.[1]
The suspected marijuana weighed approximately 101,65 kg.[1]The suspects and
the seized drugs were handed over to the South African Police Service in Wepener
for further investigation.[1]Those arrested were handed over to SAPS at
Wepener.[2]
The incidents highlight ongoing efforts by the SANDF and SAPS to combat crime
and strengthen border security under Operation Corona.[1]
Photos and video
SANDF soldiers with the suspected marijuana recovered during the operation.Photo details
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Source: NovaNewsSuspected marijuana recovered from the bakkie during the night operation at Tsupane.Photo details
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Source: NovaNewsThe recovered Mangaung municipal vehicle after its interception near Tsupane.Photo details
Yusuf Abramjeex.comOperation CORONA: SANDF makes arrests and recovers stolen vehicle
Open questions the AI reported
The article gives no separate date for the night operation, so 1 September 2026 is the publication date standing in for the event date.
The same article reports a separate recovery of an allegedly stolen Mangaung municipal bakkie near Tsupane Gate, a non-cannabis incident left out of the cannabis figures here.
No names, charges, or court outcome for the four arrested suspects were 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.
