Metro Police Raid Dagga Plantation

In a joint operation between the Cape Town Metro Police and members of the Philippi East Police Station held yesterday morning, officers destroyed a vast dagga plantation in the Philippi area. During the operation nine suspects were arrested for possession and cultivation of dagga in the Marcus Garvey 'Rastafarian' Informal settlement.

"We found and confiscated nine hundred and fifty (950) dagga plants growing in cordoned off yards. The find was so big that we needed to utilise one big police truck and ten police vans to transport the dagga to the Philippi East police station," said Metro Police spokesperson, Nowellen Petersen.

The confiscated dagga was in various stages of maturity, ranging from saplings to fully grown plants.

"A substantial amount of dried dagga seeds, compost and potassium spray that was hidden in plastic bags and boxes was also confiscated," said Petersen.

The community showed some resistance to the police action and began throwing stones at the police. The police officers were forced to shoot rubber rounds to bring the large crowd under control. One person was injured in the process, and was later charged with Public Violence.

Issued by:
Communication Department
City of Cape Town