UPINGTON — An intensified crackdown on illicit narcotics by the South African Police Service (SAPS) has culminated in a major Upington drug bust, resulting in the interception of a substantial dagga shipment along a key provincial transit route.
The successful interception was executed during a targeted Vehicle Check Point (VCP) operation aimed at disrupting the illegal drug trade across the Northern Cape. Officers from the ZFM Highway Patrol A Shift, working in conjunction with the A Shift Border Police, set up the roadblock on the N10 national road in the corridor between Upington and Groblershoop.
At approximately 20:15 on Sunday, 21 June 2026, patrol members halted a white Toyota Tazz for a routine inspection. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a hidden cache of dagga carefully concealed within the car’s interior.
Upon being secured and weighed by authorities, the seized narcotics totaled approximately 2.3 kilograms. Law enforcement officials have estimated the street value of the confiscated dagga at R55,725.00.
Police took the two male occupants of the vehicle into custody at the scene. Identified as foreign nationals aged 32 and 39, the men have been formally charged with dealing in dagga. During the search, investigators also confiscated R7,450.00 in cash, which is suspected to be illicit proceeds directly linked to the drug trafficking operation.
The two suspects remain in police detention and are scheduled to make their first appearance before the Upington Magistrate’s Court to face the drug-related charges.
