Durban police bust dagga lab near Lamontville school, two arrested

The dagga cultivation laboratory uncovered by police in Lamontville, opposite a local high school. Police in Durban have arrested two suspects after uncovering a fully operational dagga cultivation laboratory situated directly opposite a high school in Lamontville. According to a statement issued by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial police, the arrests were made on Wednesday morning after officers noticed suspicious behaviour at the property.

In the statement, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said members of the Lamontville Social Crime Prevention Unit were conducting a routine school visit when they noticed suspicious activity at a residence on Ngobese Road, near the school. Upon further investigation, police established that the occupants of the house were allegedly selling dagga to learners. A subsequent search of the premises led to the discovery of a fully operational dagga cultivation laboratory.

Items recovered at the scene included dagga plants, vacuum air purifiers, extractor fans, packaging containers and an instruction board. Magwaza said that police forensic experts were called in to process the crime scene. Two suspects, aged 38 and 55, were arrested and charged with cultivating and dealing in dagga. They are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.