Police burn dagga worth R1m

2008-01-22 11:04

Thabisile Khoza

Nelspruit - Two women, a Kenyan and South African, have appeared in court on charges of possessing dagga worth R83 500.

Amina Kamawu, 32, from Kenya and Jeanet Mhlongo, 34, from Tongaview near Malalane, were not asked to plead when they appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Police had followed them from Tonga to Nelspruit and arrested them before they could board a taxi to Johannesburg on Sunday.

They were granted R2 500 bail each and will appear again Thursday.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi said police confiscated seven bags containing dagga during the arrest.

Meanwhile, dagga plants worth R1m were destroyed on Monday afternoon when police received a tip-off from the owner of Tropicado farm near the Sudwala Caves.

"The farm owner told us that there were dagga plants near the compound and we found 1 000, 3m tall plants valued at R1m," said Hlathi.

Police were unable to get anyone to identify the owner of the plants, however, so no one was arrested.

But the plants were burnt in the presence of the farm owner.

- African Eye