Five foreign nationals are among seven people arrested in a large marijuana bust on Thursday, 18 July.
Police made the arrests on a small holding near Magaliesburg that was operating a hydroponic cannabis (marijuana) lab.
R40 million worth of cannabis confiscated
Various police units confiscated R40 million worth of cannabis, cannabis products, chemicals, and equipment at the small holding during a mid-morning raid.
The indoor marijuana farm was not their only crime, as they were also found with a signal-jamming device, live rounds of ammunition, a gas pistol, and an air rifle.
Police state that this was the third manufacturing operation discovered in the province in the past few weeks.
“We will continue to hit drug manufacturers and dealers and destroy their laboratories in order to disrupt their production. I am very happy with our efforts to deal with the scourge of drugs in the province,” said Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni
Among the foreigners were a Scotsman, a Russian, a Tanzanian, and two Lesotho nationals who will all appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
#sapsGP #SAPS Gauteng dismantles Magaliesburg Hydrophilic Cannabis Lab.
A fully hydrophilic clandestine dagga laboratory was uncovered this morning by SAPS in Magaliesburg. Police arrested seven suspects and are dismantling the laboratory with an estimated value of about R40… pic.twitter.com/qoQJzMDiHi
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 18, 2024
Cannabis not fully legal
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Cannabis for Private Purpose Bill (CPP) legalising the possession and cultivation of marijuana for private use.
The bill was first introduced in 2020 and contained a section regarding prescribed amounts that users would be able to carry in public and grow.
The section outlining the amounts was scrapped from the final bill, leaving users slightly in the dark about their rights.
However, commercial cultivation, distribution and use around non-consenting adults in private or public is still prohibited in the country.
Researcher weighs in
Commenting on why the section for prescribed amounts was removed, cannabis researcher and community advocate Leela Baer explained.
“The prescribed amounts were removed due to there being no constitutional basis for limiting what personal use may look like,” Baer told the publication.
“The CPP (Cannabis for Private Purposes) Act outlines that cannabis refers only to the fruiting tops of the plant, making it easier for other uses of the plant to happen unimpeded by poor legislation,” she added.
Noting that the size of the Magaliesburg operation demonstrated the need to formalize trade regulations and questioned the police’s valuation of the amount confiscated in the raid.
On the CPP Act being subject to further legislative tweaks, Baer concluded: “Robust public participation is needed to ensure this happens equitably. Other bills to allow for the commercialization and industrialization of Cannabis are desperately needed.”
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The biggest South African music producers and DJs, DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small show love to the young Amapiano vocalist, Nkosazana Daughter. It’s been a tense week in the South African music industry as these three, including Sir Trill and a few others made headlines several times.
Taking to Instagram this Thursday, Daughter revealed that the Scorpion Kings paid her a visit in her home. It was an exciting moment for the singer as she jumped on her feet without shoes to see them off. Read More