Four held with 293.8 kg of dagga in Upper Tugela cordon and search
Soldiers of the Tshwane Regiment and Upper Tugela police arrested four men, three from Lesotho and one South African, at a house in the Dukuza-Moyeni area after a tip-off about dagga smuggling. The SANDF said the 21 bags seized weighed 293.8 kilograms and were worth an estimated R1 175 000.
🇿🇦 Dukuza-Moyeni area, Upper Tugela, KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Arrested
4
Cannabis
293.8 kg
Cash confiscated
ZAR 3,300
Agencies
South African National Defence Force, Upper Tugela South African Police Service
South African National Defence Force soldiers of the Tshwane Regiment, deployed
under the Joint Tactical Headquarters KwaZulu-Natal, arrested four suspected
dagga smugglers in the Dukuza-Moyeni area of Upper Tugela.[1]The operation
fell under KwaZulu-Natal Operation Corona, the military’s border tasking, and
followed a tip-off about dagga smuggling at a house.[1]Soldiers and the Upper
Tugela South African Police Service carried out a cordon and search operation at
the house.[1]
Four male suspects were apprehended at the scene.[1]Officers recovered 21
bags of dagga, three cellphones and R3 300 in cash.[1]The dagga weighed 293.8
kilograms, which the SANDF valued at R4 a gram for an estimated total of R1 175
000.[1]Three of the four suspects are Lesotho nationals and one is a South
African citizen.[1]
The army said troops stationed on the KwaZulu-Natal border with Lesotho remain
alert to intercept illegal activity in the area.[1]
Photos and video
Bags of dagga recovered in the SANDF and police cordon and search operation at Upper Tugela, published with the report. Photo: Captain Anelisiwe Tamela / SANDFPhoto details
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Source: IOL / Daily NewsThe 21 bags of dagga, three cellphones and cash recovered in the operation, published with the report. Photo: Captain Anelisiwe Tamela / SANDFPhoto details
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Source: IOL / Daily NewsA further view of the 21 bags of dagga recovered at Upper Tugela, published with the report. Photo: Captain Anelisiwe Tamela / SANDFPhoto details
The article gives no calendar date beyond 'on Monday'; 9 December 2024 is used as the incident date because the page was published on Thursday 12 December and describes that date's court appearance as 'Monday'.
The value of R1 175 000 is the SANDF's own estimate at R4 a gram, not a market survey.
No charges or court appearance are reported for the four arrested men, and their names were not released.
The article does not say which charge each suspect faces or whether the case has been placed on the court roll.
The photographs are captioned only as the scene of the arrests; it is not clear which show the bags, the cash and phones, or the suspects.
The article also reports a separate Hawks arrest of Sechaba Maqhama near Louwsburg with 67 bags of dagga; that is a different event and is not covered here.
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.
