A 57-year-old man was arrested after a hi-tech dagga manufacturing lab was discovered at his mansion on Brighton Beach’s so-called Millionaires’ Mile.
|||Durban - A 57-year-old man was expected to appear in court on Monday after a hi-tech dagga manufacturing lab was discovered at his mansion on Brighton Beach’s so-called Millionaires’ Mile.
Police spokesman, Major Shooz Magudulela, said the Durban Flying Squad Narcotics Task Team arrested the man on Friday after being tipped off about the laboratory at the home, less than a kilometre from a police station.
“Hydroponic dagga plants valued at about R100 000 were confiscated for further examination by the forensic experts; (the) man was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” said Magudulela.
Commander of the task team, Warrant Officer Dean Pillay, said on Sunday that the cultivation of this type of dagga required specialised chemicals and composts, equipment such as fans, air conditioners and different colour lamps, which it was exposed to at different stages of growth.
The plants required such special attention that they needed re-potting once they grew to a certain height, he said.
“A gram of normal cannabis is sold for about R5 to R10 on the streets. The plants we found here, called hydroponic, are so meticulously cultivated it costs about R120,” said Pillay.
Magudulela said the man would be charged with manufacturing and dealing in hydroponic drugs, and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The Daily News visited the sea-facing street on Sunday.
Neighbours said the man was a loner who hardly had any visitors except for what seemed to be a crew of construction workers who brought timber and other building materials periodically.
“He built the house himself, must have been about 2007, but he never used the door, always drove in through the garage to enter the house,” said a neighbour.
Another said the man would not greet.
“We all know each other and all mingle; all nice to each other. He was not a terrible person, just kept to himself.
“I don’t even know his name and we have lived so close to each other for years,” said the neighbour.
The road was closed off with police vehicles lining the street when the man was arrested on Friday evening.
“We were all just so shocked, we still are. He’s a normal-looking man with a thriving business. It was strange that he never got any visitors, but we just thought he was a loner, not that he had something to hide in his house,” said another neighbour.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, thanked police for their quick response to information and for making that the issues of drugs were dealt with seriously.
“This will send a strong message to other criminals who are hiding and doing illegal operations which destroy the future of this country, our children,” she said.
Daily News