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The quiet East Rand suburb of Symhurst in Germiston woke up on Friday to a Hawks raid on a marijuana-growing operation.
At around 6.15am this morning, the Hawks entered what appeared to be a normal suburban house. Inside they found roughly 208 plants valued at just under R500 000.
According to the Hawks, a kilogram of indoor grown marijuana has a wholesale price of between R60 000 and R100 000, compared to the outdoor product which fetches between R1000 and R3000 per kilogram.
Spokesperson Lt. Robert Netshiunda said the inside of the house, as well as two wendy houses, had been turned into hydroponic growing houses kitted out with lights, air conditioners and extractor fans.
Netshiunda said that the Hawks had been aware of the grow house for some time and had planned their raid carefully so as to catch the suspects at home.
“We didn’t want to go into a house and find dagga plants without anyone there,” he said.
“We arrested four suspects – two men and two women.”
The Hawks say it appears that one of the suspects is the owner of the house. Asked if neighbours had any idea of what was going on, he said: “It was a well-equipped operation. But from the outside it looks like a normal house in a quiet extension.”
For now the Hawks have not been able to establish if the suspects were operating as part of a broader syndicate but Netshiunda says this will form part of their ongoing investigation.
Earlier in the week, SARS made a R12 million drug bust at OR Tambo international airport when they arrested a passenger carrying two suitcases filled with 40.2kg of ephedrine.
Pictures of the grow house in Symhurst supplied by Hawks (DPCI) Media Liaison
