SA man in Lusaka jail over dagga lab

A South African man faces up to 10 years in prison for allegedly running an "indoor cannabis lab" in Lusaka, Zambia.

According to Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission, Kabir Magan, 33 - a former pupil at Wynberg Boys High School in Cape Town - was taken into custody after a raid on his business property last Wednesday, drug enforcement spokesman Kamufisa Manchishi said.

Manchishi said Magan was charged with "trafficking in psychotropic drugs" and is in custody.

"It is a non-bailable offence. The suspect is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. Note, however, that further investigations are being carried out to ascertain the full extent of the case," said Manchishi via e-mail.

He added that while he couldn't discuss details of the case, he described conditions at the property.

"The lab contained an intricate system for the simulation of environmental conditions to support the plants that were being grown in polythene bags. The operation also led to the discovery of a suspected cryptocurrency machine," he said.

He added that the country's drugs law stipulated that Magan could get up to 10 years in jail for a first offence.

An e-mail to Magan's company, The Energy Shop, went unanswered yesterday.