Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, welcomed the arrests and praised the coordinated efforts of the multidisciplinary team, saying such operations show the SAPS’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking and ensuring safer communities in the province.
Two men, aged 44 and 45, were arrested near Ermelo after police intercepted two vehicles allegedly transporting a large consignment of dagga valued at about R500 000.
According to a media statement from the Office of the Provincial Commissioner in Mpumalanga, the arrests followed an intelligence-driven operation on Wednesday, 26 November 2025. Information received by Ermelo Crime Intelligence indicated that dagga was being transported from Piet Retief to Amsterdam.
Members of the SAPS Highway Patrol and the District Task Team launched a tactical operation and later spotted a white BMW X5 with Gauteng registration plates and a white Ford Ranger. Officers pursued and stopped both vehicles, where a search led to the discovery of bags filled with dagga concealed in the vehicles.
Police confirmed that the recovered dagga weighed 232.72 kilograms. The two suspects were arrested on charges of possession of dagga and are expected to appear in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court today, Thursday 27 November 2025.