Police have stepped up the arrests of illicit cannabis dealers over the past month as eSwatini outdoor floods the local black market. In the latest developments a 43 year old man was arrested in Letsitele, Limpopo for allegedly ferrying eSwatini flower to Zimbabwe, while police are searching for a man in Tonga who abandoned a car full of cannabis after a high speed chase.
20 June 2025 at 07:30:00
Cannabiz Africa
Word on the streets is that cheap Swazi Gold is dominating the illicit budget market in northern South Africa, available for as little as R5/gram. There appears to be a number of well-oiled illicit distribution channels operating out of eSwatini, who’s illegal growers are supplying thousands of kilograms of cannabis to Gauteng, Mpumulanga, Limpopo and illicit markets as far afield as Namibia and Zimbabwe.
A statement from SAPS says a major operation was conducted in the Letsitele policing area within the Mopani District of Limpopo over the past week. On Tuesday, 17 June 2025, police received intelligence to look out for a white VW Jetta “suspected of transporting dagga from Swaziland en route to Zimbabwe”. A tactical operation was immediately launched to intercept the vehicle, involving the Mopani Tracking Team, SAPS Maake Task Team, Private K9 Anti-Hijacking Unit, Haenertsburg Neighbourhood Watch, Hoshani Security, Letaba Security, and E2 Cross Province.
The Jetta was spotted along the R529 near Mafarana Village and pulled over. “Upon being stopped and searched, officers discovered ten compressed bales of dagga weighing approximately 217.2 kg, with a street value estimated at R1.3 million” A 43 year-old man (pictured above) was arrested and was due to appear in the Ritavi Magistrates Court.
In another incident close to the eSwatini border, police in Tonga seized illicit eSwatini cannabis with a an estimated street value of several million rand. In this case the suspect managed to flee after a high speed car chase after which he abandoned the car and fled into the bush. Police say the suspect is still at large.
Cross-border cannabis smuggling is a major security issue in southern Africa, to the extent that the SANDF has been deployed to support police in this role. Defence Web reported in March 2025 that troops from 4 Battalion based in Middleburg, Mpumulanga, were patrolling the borders along Mozambique and eSwatini to prevent smugglers intent on getting “product” to illegal markets in South Africa.
Soldiers report that confiscating drugs from smugglers is an almost daily occurance. eSwatini has long been a primary source of illicit cannabis in southern Africa and illegal growers and distributors are believed to ‘enjoy protection’ from senior officials who are involved in the trade.
Exiled eSwatini journalist, Martin Dlamini, has consistently claimed that members of the eSwatini Royal Family, may be deeply involved in the widespread illegal sales and marketing of Swazi Gold. Much of that product finds its way into the illicit South African retail ‘Grey Zone’ where eSwatini cannabis is a reliable budget line item stocked in many outlets
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