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"Hawks shut down 'dagga plantation' in Bloemfontein, 8 arrested"


Ill_Evan
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Eight people were arrested on Thursday after the Hawks raided and shut down a "huge dagga plantation" in Bloemspruit, Bloemfontein.

According to a statement, the Hawks acted on intelligence gathered on Monday, with regard to a cannabis plantation allegedly operational in the area.

After obtaining a warrant, officials raided the property and found a "fully-fledged dagga cultivation greenhouse", according to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Lynda Steyn.

Steyn said the value of the cannabis seized has yet to be determined, but is estimated to be a substantial amount.

"The forensic team from head office has been roped in to assist in the dismantling of the plantation," Steyn added.

During the execution of the warrant, eight people, aged between 22 and 52, were found on the property and subsequently arrested.

The eight are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court next week on charges of cultivating and dealing in cannabis.

 

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17 minutes ago, Stinger96 said:
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Durban - A Durban anti-drug organisation has commended the police for uncovering drug laboratories in upmarket residential areas in KwaZulu-Natal.

In the latest drug bust, police arrested a man and seized R400 000 worth of dagga and equipment used to cultivate and process the substance in Kloof on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said crime-prevention duties conducted in Marine Parade in Durban led to the arrest of the suspect who was in possession of dagga.

“As the police officers began to conduct a search of the man, they detected a strong odour emanating from the vehicle.

“A large plastic packet containing a huge quantity of hydroponic dagga was found hidden inside the vehicle,” Naicker said.

He said upon further investigations, the team went to a house in Kloof, where a dagga lab was uncovered.

“Inside the house police seized dagga plants as well as equipment used to cultivate and process the dagga. A 29-year-old suspect was placed under arrest for dealing and cultivation of dagga.”

The total value of the dagga and equipment was an estimated R400000.

Anti-Drug Forum director Sam Pillay said he was happy to see the frequency of drug busts and hoped that the police would continue uncovering more drug production labs.

Pillay said he had also noted that some of the drug busts had taken place in affluent areas, such as the latest one in Kloof and a recent R4million drug bust in Ballito.

“Most of the labs are in affluent areas because of the privacy you find in those areas. You don’t see the neighbours and most of them have high walls.”

Pillay said as a result criminals operating in affluent areas went undetected and got away with drug dealing and production on these properties.

Kloof Community Policing Forum chairperson Colin Fourie said he hoped the arrest would lead to more and that it would prevent other drug dealers from doing business in Kloof.

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That's a nice 9 bucket RDWC system that guy has..I mean..had...

Although R400 000 is a bit of an over estimate if that is the entirety of that guy's grow 😂 and some of those plants look like they are struggling a bit. I also spy a Royal Queen Seeds poster I can only assume came from one of our local seed banks, in fact I might have that same one lying around somewhere 🤔

Jissis I still can't get over how the media uses the word "dagga". The day that changes is the day that the stigma goes with it.

 

Edited by Ill_Evan
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Pathetic from our police and the media. This is the world we live in... Amidst all the big problems they do this
That's true. It is pathetic... I guess the police need to have big busts in order to show that they're doing work, but the media needs to really get with the times.
Something as simple as an old word makes something seem so dirty.
I've learnt to ignore old school negative opinions really early. They don't really have a reason as to why weed is bad, is just is.
Seems like the people that run the media have the same mentality.

Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk

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The thing is just to be more discreet about it, these guys are def running operations, you don't just happen to have a huge bag of nice ass weed packaged in your for no reason driving up and down, guy got grilled and shaked down hard , they always hungry for anything! Crime is rife all over , I would love a forest in my house as much as everyone.

Until the writing is kinda set in stone, I will always have that slight paranoid feeling......

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3 hours ago, Clayton said:
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Everything you need to know about South Africa’s weed laws – and what’s coming next

In September 2018, the Constitutional Court ruled that it is not a criminal offence for an adult citizen to use, possess or grow cannabis in private for personal consumption.

The court gave parliament 24 months from the date of the judgment to bring the ruling in line with South African laws, with a new bill expected to be released soon, said Julie Oppenheim, a partner at law firm Bowmans.

Below, Oppenheim outlined the current position of cannabis in South African law, ahead of the introduction of the new regulations.

The line between private and public use

One of the few facts we know for sure about cannabis regulation right now is that using or growing it in private for your personal use is your own business, said Oppenheim.

“Every citizen has the right to privacy and this right informed the Constitutional Court’s decision in the famous cannabis case of September 2018,” she said.

However, the legal expert said that the Constitutional Court did not define the scope of private, rather leaving this to the discretion of those who enforce the law – the police, prosecutors and the courts.

The judgment did, however, expand private use, possession or cultivation of cannabis beyond a home or private dwelling, she said.

“This makes sense as the sphere of privacy naturally extends to one’s person, one’s car, one’s handbag, for example, and searching any of these would be an infringement on the right to privacy.

“This is why the state is required to have reasonable grounds for doing so.”

It also seems (although not explicit from the Constitutional Court’s judgment) that in addition to the use of cannabis beyond one’s home, it may be permissible to use cannabis together with friends and family – provided that they are consenting and over the age of 18, said Oppenheim.

However, this would not extend to spaces used by other groups or the broader community, such as a park or the street, she said.

How much is too much?

The Constitutional Court did not prescribe the quantity of cannabis that would qualify for personal use.

Instead, it gave parliament 24 months from the date of the judgment to incorporate appropriate provisions into the relevant legislation, said Oppenheim.

Until these provisions are made, South Africa’s law enforcement officials have the discretion to decide whether the amount of cannabis in a person’s possession could reasonably be believed to be more than what is necessary for private use.

“If so, the individual could be considered to be ‘dealing’ in cannabis in contravention of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act.”

To assist the police in the exercise of their discretion, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has already issued a directive which sets out certain considerations where someone is found in possession of cannabis.

Police discretion

According to the directive, the SAPS official must observe the circumstances and surrounding facts, and question the person implicated, as well as any other person who may be able to assist.

If the explanation given is unsatisfactory, the police officer has the discretion to decide what action to take.

If in doubt as to whether the cannabis is for personal consumption, the police officer must register a criminal case docket and seize, weigh and book the cannabis. The decision on whether or not to prosecute will then lie with the prosecutor.

On the other hand, if the official is satisfied that the quantity of cannabis is small enough to qualify as personal consumption, he or she should not arrest and charge the person but record the amount of cannabis and the reasons for the decision in his or her pocket book or diary.

In all cases, police discretion must be exercised in ‘good faith, rationally and not arbitrarily’.

“While it is comforting that the directive gives some guidance and provides some checks and balances, being charged with a crime carries a huge reputational and pecuniary cost,” said Oppenheim.

“The wide room for discretion – by SAPS, the prosecutor and even the courts – leaves this an uncomfortable space to dabble in.”

Health supplements exempted – for 12 months

Cannabis products considered to be health supplements are those containing a daily dose of less than 20mg cannabidiol (CBD), as well as those containing less than 0.001% of THC, or less than 0.0075% CBD.

These products may be bought and sold relatively freely as a result of the exemption published in the Government Gazette on 23 May 2019 – a development that has perhaps fuelled the false impression among many South Africans that the cannabis market is suddenly opening up to any and all products, said Oppenheim.

“However, even this exemption carries limitations,” she said.

“It applies only for 12 months and is intended to create an opportunity for the fledgling cannabis industry to engage on a legal framework going forward.

“In the meantime, does this mean that large amounts of cannabis can be freely cultivated in order to manufacture these products?

“Probably not. Remember that the provisions on dealing under the criminal law remain applicable, unless you have a cultivation licence from SAHPRA.”

Playing it safe

Until some of the many grey areas in the regulation of cannabis have been clarified, Oppenheim outlined the basic legal position on cannabis in South Africa as follows:

You may use it for your personal recreational or medicinal use, alone or with friends and family over the age of 18, in spaces not open to groups other than your own.

Grow only as much as necessary for your personal use; where unsure, rather be conservative.

Other than in the case of specific health supplements and processed hemp fibre detailed above, buying and selling cannabis or any cannabis-containing product is currently not legally permissible.

What happens next?

Despite the regulatory changes to cannabis products, Government has been quiet on its plans to introduce laws around recreational cannabis use.

The September 2018 Constitutional Court judgement effectively gave lawmakers 24 months to bring legislation in line with the ruling  – with nine months having already passed.

Given the somewhat controversial nature of cannabis, the new laws will have to be airtight and able to withstand a full public commentary process.

“We understand that a bill regulating cannabis is soon to be published for public comment, although this has not been officially confirmed and we have not seen any such draft,” said Oppenheim.

 

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I doubt going backwards is on the table at all... Considering the raging successes of other countries laxing the bans on cannabis. 

I think it just means we are gonna be living in the gray area for a bit longer. 

Mixed emotions there... But so far so good right? I mean, iv only heard of larger grows being in trouble... 

And I don't think anyone on this site has a grow one could consider "large", barely meduim at most. Which is a good thing. 

Quality over quantity 😎

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