SNIFFED OUT AND SMOKED OUT!

Northam – Two suspects were arrested in separate incidents during a targeted Vhuthu Hawe operation in Northam on Saturday, 22 March 2025. The suspects, aged 27 and 31, were nabbed for possession of dagga and dealing in illicit cigarettes respectively, following a sharp-eyed police operation led by the Lephalale K9 Dog Unit.

According to police spokesperson brigadier Hlulani Mashaba; in the first incident, officers swooped in on Smashblock after receiving information about an individual allegedly in possession of dagga. Upon arrival, they searched a 31-year-old male suspect and discovered dagga with a street value estimated at R500. He was arrested at the scene.

The team then moved swiftly to Northam RDP Block 2, where a 27-year-old foreign national was apprehended at a rented residence. He was found in possession of illicit cigarettes with a market value of approximately R6,000. The suspects appeared before the Northam Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 24 March 2025. Meanwhile, investigations remain ongoing.

Photo: A suspect caught with dagga worth R500 at Smashblock informal settlement during Saturday’s raid.