2012-04-11 22:46
Durban – Eight men accused of transporting dagga by donkey from Lesotho into South Africa have appeared in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Captain Thulani Zwane said on Wednesday they would be back in court on April 18.
Five of them – four South Africans and a Basotho – were arrested on April 4 in the Drakensberg mountains for being in possession of dagga worth about R1.8m.
“We believed the suspects form part of a larger syndicate that transports the dagga by means of donkey back, from the Lesotho area through the mountain passes of the Drakensberg and into South Africa, where it then gets distributed to various parts of the country.”
Three more arrests were made on April 5.
Police came across a donkey train laden with bags of dagga that had come in through the Mnweni pass, in the Mablesini area, Bergville.
The 28 bags of dagga weighed 514kg and had an estimated street value of R1m.
– SAPA
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