A man from the Western Cape has been fined R30 000 for operating a hydroponic lab and cultivating cannabis from his home.
According to IOL, the National Intervention Unit and the Bellville-based Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (Saneb) confiscated 35 cannabis plants that were growing beneath a tent fitted with lights and fans.
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The Bellville Magistrates’ Court imposed a four-year prison term, which has been suspended for five years on the stipulation that he avoids any conviction related to the violation of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act.
The convicted man, a 46-year-old named Peter Cooke, was first arrested in June 2021 after the Hawks received a tip about a person suspected of running a hydroponic lab within his home.
The Hawks’ spokesperson, Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, revealed, ‘They also seized loose cannabis, cannabis powder, syringes containing cannabis CBD oil and more CBD oil in glass bottles and capsules.’
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The estimated total value of the seized items was approximately R80 000. Cooke was taken into custody but later released on bail amounting to R30 000.
Cooke’s sentence encompassed a four-year prison term that has been entirely suspended for a five-year period, contingent on his avoidance of any further contravention of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act.
He was further sentenced to pay a fine of R30 000 or face the alternative of two years of imprisonment.
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