South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers have recovered nearly 200 kg of dagga during patrols along the border with Mozambique and Eswatini.
Lieutenant Fundiswa Samantha Xaba reported for Joint Operations Tactical Headquarters Mpumalanga that soldiers from 5 South African Infantry Battalion discovered the dagga near Nyamane in Eswatini. The 190 kg of dagga has an estimated street value of R789 840.
In another bust, on 8 October, 5 South African Battalion soldiers were busy conducting vehicle patrols at Elukwatini near the Eswatini border when they spotted two women carrying seven bags of dagga weighting 17 kg and with a street value of R71 400. The two suspects were apprehended and taken to the South African Police Service by the Military Police.
“This demonstrates the commitment and dedication of the South African Defence Force to protect the sovereignty of the state,” Fundiswa stated.
Last month, Operation Corona border patrol statistics showed soldiers confiscated R2.5 million worth of drugs, primarily along the Eswatini/KwaZulu-Natal/Mozambique borders. This was down from the R10 million worth of drugs seized in August.
Contraband seizures in September were also markedly down on the previous month. In August soldiers confiscated contraband valued at over R3.8 million, compared with just over R2 million for September.
Numerous stolen vehicles were also recovered last month, with R2.3 million worth of vehicles recovered in Limpopo along the Zimbabwe border, and R300 000 worth of vehicles recovered in KwaZulu-Natal along the Mozambique border.
Other successes recorded for September include the apprehension of 312 illegal immigrants (down from 839 in August) and R250 000 worth of livestock found to be illegally grazing.
