The two Zimbabwean men involved in a dagga-growing syndicate at Sipedza Village outside Beit Bridge were each sentenced to an effective one-and-a half years in jail on Monday.

The two accused, Issau Moyo (56),  a village head, and Bhekimpilo Sikhosana (43), were arrested two weeks ago for cultivating more than 1 800 dagga plants. They were arrested during an early morning raid after police had received information during the Easter weekend that the two men were cultivating dagga in their field.

Moyo and Sikhosana were convicted by a local magistrate, Ms Sheila Nazombe, on their own pleas of guilty to charges of contravening a section of the Dangerous Drugs Act (growing an illicit plant).

They were sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, of which 12 months were conditionally suspended for five years, leaving them with an effective 18 months to serve.

It was testified that sometime in January this year, the two men grew dagga in their fields along the Mtshabezi River. Police then received a tip-off during Easter, and they deployed officers to the accused persons’ field. They raided Moyo’s homestead and found 1 863 plants, measuring between 2cm and 150 cm tall. During the raid, police also discovered a nursery where there were about 600 plants in a swampy area. The two men were arrested and the plants uprooted and taken to the local police station, where they were kept as an exhibit.

According to police investigations, the two men were smuggling the dagga to South African farms along the Limpopo River.