Supplied
A Free State man has appeared in court for dealing in drugs and operating a cannabis laboratory.
Hawks provincial spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase, said 28-year-old Jakobus Lourens appeared in the Virginia Magistrate Court on Thursday following his arrest earlier in the week.
“He was arrested on Tuesday, 12 April 2022 following a search and seizure operation executed by the Welkom K9 unit at his property in Virginia upon receiving a tip-off about a suspect who was operating a cannabis hydroponic lab,” he said.
Nkwalase said during the search the team established that the garage and outer building on the premises had been converted for the cultivation of cannabis.
He said an assortment of equipment, which included growing lights, chemicals, a humidifier, and several dagga plants, were seized.
Lourens was released on bail of R3000 and is back in court again on 28 April.
