The Hawks say they were investigating a syndicate believed to be smuggling cannabis from eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) to Botswana when they received a tip off of a specific consignment on the road.

A statement from the Hawks says the investigation team, consisting of the Hawks Serious Crimes and Zeerust K9 Units “operationalized information regarding dagga that was allegedly being transported from Swaziland to Botswana. The vehicle was spotted and stopped on the Zeerust road just before Swartkopfontein Port of Entry. When the vehicle was searched, five bags of dagga weighing over 100 kilograms were found. The vehicle and the dagga were seized for further investigation".

The three men arrested were Mothusi Ramogerisa (33), apparently a citizen of Botswana, and two eSwatini Nationals, Sipheshle Magagula (30) and Mevine Gule (23). They appeared in the Zeerust Magistrates Court on 15 September 2022 where they were charged under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and the matter was postponed to 20 September 2022 for a formal bail application.