Colchester: A 54-year-old woman is due to appear before the Motherwell Magistrate’s court on charges of dealing in drugs and the cultivation of dagga for the purposes of sales after she was found in possession of manufactured, dagga-coated confectionaries and the discovery of a dagga plantation on her property in a residential area in Colchester.

According to South African Police Service, it is alleged that police were performing crime prevention patrols along the N2 National Road near Colchester when they noticed suspicious activities at a house in Long Market Street Colchester. Members approached the house for the search. When permission was granted to search the premises, a dagga plantation in the yard and what appeared like a manufacturing operation, processing labelled packaged dagga-coated sweets was discovered inside the house.

A large quantity of fudge, chocolates, jelly-gummy bubble-gum, laced with dagga was confiscated together with 381.4 grams of loose dagga, two clock humidity scales, and an undisclosed amount of cash. The estimated street value of the confiscated items is about fifty thousand rand (R50 000.00).

The 54-year-old female owner of the property was arrested on the spot and is due to appear before the Motherwell Magistrates court on charges of dealing in drugs and the unlawful cultivation of dagga for the purpose of sales.

Sarah Baartman District Commissioner Brigadier Asogran Naidoo applauded the members involved for their commitment and dedication to eradicate illicit drugs from communities. ‘Drug dealers are targeting now the innocent children, spiking sweets with drugs, effectively luring them into drug addiction. This will not be allowed,’ Brigadier Asogran Naidoo warned.