Top cop bust for zol mert

Top cops in Mpumalanga have “strongly” condemned the behaviour of a police captain who was arrested for allegedly smokkeling dagga.

Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said the captain was nabbed on Friday.

He said security guards patrolling a plantation in Sabie noticed a police van in the bushes and investigated.

“To their surprise, the guards reportedly saw two males, one being a SAPS captain, though not wearing uniform at the time whilst the other one was wearing a SAPS boiler suit (police reflective jacket),” Mohlala said.

The two were allegedly in possession of some bags which were wrapped with Sellotape and were busy putting it in black refuse bags.

He says the other man ran upon noticing the guards, while the captain tried to escape with the police bakkie but the security officers used their bakkie to block him.

The suspicious bags were checked, and they found dagga weighing 22.48kg with a street value of just over R33K.

Mohlala says the captain allegedly tried to bribe the guards.

“(He begged) them to let him go and promised to offer one bag of dagga to be sold for their own profit or else he will sell it then give back the money. However, the security officers are said to have refused the offer,” according to Mohlala.

The captain was detained and charged for dealing in dagga, use of a State vehicle without (the) owner’s consent, attempting to defeat the ends of justice and corruption.

He appeared before the Sabie Magistrate's Court on Monday.

[email protected]