BLOEMFONTEIN, FREE STATE — A formal Bloemfontein dagga investigation is underway after a delivery company intercepted two large boxes emitting a suspicious odor at a Showgate facility on Currie Avenue.
The complainant reported receiving the large parcels from a delivery driver. Upon noticing a strong, suspicious smell, he opened the first box and discovered transparent plastic bags filled with dry leaves that he suspected to be dagga. He immediately reported his findings to the authorities.
The Local Criminal Record Centre was dispatched to the Mangaung Metro crime scene to process the exhibits. Investigators successfully lifted fingerprints from the packaging for further investigation. The parcels, which carry an estimated combined street value of approximately R450,000, were left in the custody of the delivery company to trace the collection process and identify the senders.
Two intended recipients, aged 29 and 31, arrived at the facility to collect their parcels and were subsequently detained by police for questioning. Following the intelligence gathered from the initial intercept, Parkweg Station Commander Brigadier Teboho Raymond Jacobs activated a specialized task team to determine whether the contents of the boxes are illicit cannabis or legal hemp.
During the probe, management from both associated plantations presented copies of permits authorizing hemp-related activities in terms of the Plant Improvement Act 54 of 1976.
An enquiry docket has been officially registered at the Parkweg Police Station. Samples from the intercepted boxes, as well as comparative samples from the plantations, have been collected and dispatched to the Forensic Science Laboratory. The laboratory’s scientific analysis will definitively determine the botanical classification of the dried leaves and guide the next steps of the criminal enquiry.
