Man selling 'strange moroho' at Bloem taxi rank lets khat out of the bag
Image: 123RF/Sergey Mayorov
It was an eagle-eyed taxi driver who led police to a man carrying a large travel bag stuffed with an illegal leafy plant.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Thabo Covane said the taxi driver stopped members of the crime prevention unit on patrol in the Bloemfontein CBD on Sunday, alerting them to a man carrying a "big travelling bag containing a strange 'moroho' [a type of spinach] at Majakathatha taxi rank area".
"The police swiftly responded and at the taxi rank in Power Street found the male with the bag," said Covane. "They asked for permission to search the bag and the owner agreed. Inside the bag they found Khat plants."
Khat contains a stimulant that can produce excitement and euphoria. The man's stash weighed more than 28kg, giving it an estimated street value of about R50,000.
"The police asked the man if he knew that the plant is a drug. He replied that he sells it to people to make them happy and to give them strength," said Covane.
The man, aged 34, was arrested for being in possession of drugs.
He will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Monday.