The Cannabis Smugglers Stacey Dooley Investigates

This programme contains some strong language

All over the world, hundreds and thousands of people are fighting a hidden war.

The outcome of which could affect us all.

It's the war against drugs.

Despite worldwide efforts to crack down,

drug use continues to rise.

So I'm travelling across three continents to investigate

the newest drugs on the market.

Who's really behind the narcotics trade?

And what are the authorities doing to stamp it out?

I've travelled to Mexico to investigate the brutal cartels

trafficking crystal meth on an industrial scale.

I mean, you see how tiny it is on that knife,

and then you see how many huge bags we've got here.

Gives you an indication of how many people would get very high off of this.

And in Cambodia...

Welcome to the Cardamoms.

..I go on the trail of the production of ecstasy.

Oh, there's someone there.

Tonight, I'm in South Africa,

a source of our most used illegal drug, cannabis.

This is going to E16, East London.

Well, I know exactly where that is.

I discover a new stronger weed that's hitting the UK.

This one is the strong stuff.

So that's where you'll make your big money.

Yeah, that's where I make a lot of money.

And I confront the people accused of dealing.

Is that not a concern for you,

that you don't know how drugs are getting into your place?

I don't know, I wasn't here.

Are you selling it to children, to young kids?

I follow the police in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Really, I'm not looking to push my luck. This is Johannesburg.

Everyone's got a gun except me...

and we're doorstepping drug dealers.

And I see what really happens when cannabis use is taken to extremes.

I smoke until I die. I get crazy if I don't get this thing.

And it decimates a generation.

Tonight, I'm in South Africa,

one of the main suppliers of high strength cannabis to Britain.

I'm starting my investigation at Oliver Tambo International,

the largest and busiest airport in Africa,

and the new front line in the trafficking of drugs

from Africa to Europe.

Thank you. Thanks so much.

Here it's the job of airport police captains Beatrice Wanyama

and Ian Polley to catch the drug smugglers.

How often will you have a definite suspect,

someone particular that you're looking for?

-Every day?

-Yeah.

So when was the last time you found cannabis here?

How was it that you found her?

So you had a tip off?

The woman was caught with 20 kilos of cannabis,

but tonnes could be going through this airport

and over to Europe every year.

Later, I get a heads up about a suspicious package

that's just been seized.

Oh, my God!

It stinks.

Three.

That looks like stuffing, you know on your roast dinner,

when you have stuffing?

This is going to East London, well, I know exactly where that is.

E16, East London.

All the hipsters are going to have no weed to smoke.

And this one? Exeter.

And in terms of your relationship with the UK,

will you give the UK a call and say,

we found a load of weed that was supposed to be coming to you?

OK.

How likely is it that you will find the people responsible?

So there will be no repercussions for the sender or the person

who was hoping to receive it?

Why do you think they suspected these packages,

because from the outside it looks very innocent.

Oh there's more, more, more.

-Look, there's some here as well.

-Yeah.

One, two, three, four....

five, six, seven, eight packages.

They're done a good job, haven't they, of compressing that?

But looks like none of this weed, none of this ganja will be smoked...

-No.

-..at addresses in London or Exeter.

The main priority for the police here

is trying to keep on top of what's coming in.

So they're a lot less focused really about what's going out.

Understandably so. They only really go down that route

if they've got concrete intelligence.

So that's good news for a smuggler, isn't it,

who's trying to get cannabis from South Africa in to the UK.

Beatrice and her team are also on the lookout for drugs

being smuggled from all over the world,

through the airport to Europe.

So right now we're going to pick up a flight that's just landed

from Sao Paulo, and the captains are telling me

that they've got no definite suspect on this particular flight,

but these flights are suspicious generally.

So we're going to go and speak to their colleagues and see

if they've indentified any people that could be possibly

trafficking from South America.

So what's the first thing you're going to do?

The police check all passengers.

They're looking for people who appear nervous or agitated, have

booked flights at the last minute with cash or are travelling light.

-For how many days in South Africa?

-I leave on Saturday.

Currently, there are a couple of people who they've just put

to one side who they'd like to have a further chat with.

It doesn't necessarily mean that they think they've got drugs,

but it's something they do on a daily basis.

So if any of them are smuggling,

I'm sure they're feeling sick with nerves, and I'm sure a lot

of them aren't, and it's just a bit of a hassle, a bit of a palaver.

Two passengers travelling without luggage

are suspected of being drug mules.

And when you say a swallower, they swallow a condom?

And if it shows that they have got bullets?

For me, the idea of swallowing just sounds horrific.

You know, if you're body wrapped or you've got it in your luggage,

you can leave it on a carousel if you have a sudden change of heart,

or you can just, you know, rip it off and throw it somewhere.

If it's inside you, it's like a ticking time bomb.

There's no way that you can leave it.

And you know, sometimes they die mid-air on the flight.

Sometimes they're eight months pregnant,

they've got 110 bullets inside them.

It's just such a huge risk to take,

and if you get caught with all them drugs inside you, there's really

no way you can distance yourself from the smuggling.

Once all the passengers are off, the sniffer dogs check the plane

and I'm surprised to hear why.

So sometimes they leave the drugs on the plane for somebody to collect?

That would suggest that people that are working within

the airport are facilitating them.

So it's an inside job sometimes.

Corruption is a big issue for you.

What about other police officers?

Why are so many airport workers feeling confident

that they can help a smuggler and get away with it?

Has anyone ever asked you to facilitate them?

Smuggler might have his eye on you right now.

Yeah.

Trying to work out your price.

If corruption here is as bad as Beatrice alleges,

I'm beginning to understand why so much of the cannabis

getting to Britain is coming from South Africa.

Of course I'd love to meet a smuggler.

That's the very person who everybody's trying to catch.

So to be able to have a conversation and try

and understand where they're coming from would be amazing.

I want to know more about how it's done

so I've tracked down a drug trafficker who's agreed

to talk to me on the condition we don't reveal his identity.

This evening, I've arranged to have a chat with a local guy,

and my understanding is that it was his job to move huge amounts

of cannabis around, and he knows exactly how it gets

from South Africa to the UK and to London.

-I'm Stacey.

-I'm Mr Green.

Mr Green, I wonder if you could tell me exactly how cannabis

goes from South Africa and makes its way over to Europe and into the UK.

That would be by air or ship.

Erm, by air people would be given a suitcase,

and pack it with approximately 15 kilos of product,

and they would then fly to the UK with that suitcase.

The sniffer dogs - are they an issue?

If we wanted to be really cautious, we'd put in a layer of food.

That complete disguises the smell.

If you want to move tonnes, you move it in a container.

The product would be packed in goods like...

African artwork that is hollowed out.

That container's already been flagged to be put in a specific area

at the dock that it's arriving at,

and that's done via people that worked, let's say, alongside us.

And they're not directly involved in actually moving the product.

-They're just turning a blind eye.

-Yeah.

Do you and your colleagues have a relationship

with the police in terms of informers?

Yes, we do. They're a key part of the game.

You, you need what they know

in order to expedite your shipment.

And immigration, port authorities, the police...

Even at a government level.

How do you approach someone and say,

"Do you want to be part of our chain?"

You would notice that they worked in an airport,

and a lot of people frequent pubs and that's a good place to do business.

It would take a few weeks,

and then you would get down to talking money.

So do you believe everyone has a price?

Vast majority do, yes.

How much were you making, best month?

Best month was 50,000 euro.

There were people that were above me that were making a lot more.

Millions?

Millions, yeah.

Some people up to, let's say, a million euro a week.

Moving it from South Africa to Europe...

-Yes.

-..to the UK, in some circumstances.

Yes. In terms of marijuana,

there's a demand for very good quality product that people

know already, such as Swazi Gold, and huge amounts of it are grown.

Ethically, you,

you have no issues with how you've made all of your money?

Not at all. It's a choice I made.

My issue is that people at the bottom are sometimes vulnerable

and sometimes exploited. You can't say that's a choice.

They've been forced into that position because there's no other alternatives.

There's no such thing as no choice.

Mr Green tells me he's no longer involved in the drugs trade.

But guys like him are smuggling vast quantities of cannabis

out of South Africa every day,

including a really strong strain of weed called Swazi Gold.

And that's what I want to track down next, so I get back on the road.

So people here will tell you that you have to head to Swaziland

if you're wanting to see the strongest cannabis here,

so the highest quality.

So that's where I'm off to now.

It's a four-hour drive across Southern Africa

to this tiny country.

And one thing that makes this land so fertile

and perfect for growing weed is the ever changing weather.

This storm is unbelievable.

I've never seen anything quite like it in my whole entire life.

We've had to change route because there's too many vans

and trucks that way, so we think it's safer this way.

Just approaching the border

will mean I'll leave South Africa and come into Swaziland.

And, yeah, everything crossed that I just get in,

there's no problems, there's no hassle.

Swaziland authorities don't want the world knowing

they're a major source of cannabis,

so I have to get in to the country without them realising

we're a film crew.

As I approach the border, we switch off the camera.

We're in.

Swaziland's tropical climate is perfect for growing weed.

The cannabis, or "dagga" as it's known here,

is grown high up in the mountains hidden away from the police.

However, extreme weather and suspicious border guards

aren't the only risks here.

Oh, my gosh.

The whole lorry's just overturned

and we've just seen a couple of people crawl out of the lorry.

I think everyone's OK.

It's just totally crazy and it just, you know,

it highlights where we are and it shakes you up a bit.

This guy was in the car?

He was the driver? He is OK?

Three guys there that are, are in a pretty bad way.

It's a miracle they're all alive,

cos the thing literally flipped a couple of times.

The ambulance have just arrived but we have to go.

If any authorities see us with that camera, that's it.

We get chucked out. So yeah, we can go.

Back on the road, it's a further two hour climb before I hit

the dirt track where I meet my guide.

-Hello. I'm Stacey.

-Yeah.

Very nice to meet you.

Yes. Thank you.

My guide isn't a dealer himself

but he knows a lot about the type of cannabis grown here.

Swaziland is notorious for growing stronger weed.

Why is the weed in Swaziland so good, so special?

Some of them are grandmothers? Grannies? Growing cannabis?

That's crazy.

Wow. And where are their parents?

Hello.

How do you do? Nice to meet you.

This granny lost her husband

and supports her huge family by growing cannabis.

We can see your farm?

It's just a matter of time before I fall down this hill.

Thousands of Swazi farmers grow this illegal weed.

But in a bid to hide it from the police or prying eyes,

they plant it in the middle of common food crops.

Ah, sweetcorn.

Although the field is completely hidden,

the size of these illegal plants is unbelievable.

Wow. This is big!

Your holy field, yeah.

I think it looks very big.

500 plants.

To me that's loads.

Like many young Swazis, this lad was clothed,

fed and sent to school all from the proceeds of cannabis.

Now at 22, he feels he's got no alternative

but to work in the fields just like the grannies.

Are there any other ways to make money in Swaziland?

More money for cannabis?

Show me the end of the farm.

I discover farmers her are growing a new, more potent cannabis.

It smells so strong. I've smelt so many different types of cannabis.

This smells so strong.

The new strain also means farmers can grow two crops a year,

doubling their income

and the amount of cannabis being smuggled to the UK.

On a good day, when they really want the ganja,

how much is the best price for a kilo?

Wow.

So how many kilos will you grow in a year?

I understand completely why people are drawn to the cannabis.

Yeah, yeah.

But with growing an illegal plant, you always run the risk

of being arrested, being caught by the authorities.

What will you do if they find this farm and eradicate it?

Yeah?

With little or no long term consequences,

Swazi cannabis farmers are able to churn out tonnes of weed every year.

The farmer shows me inside his drying shed.

So this stuff is completely dry now?

The strength of this cross-bred Swazi skunk

comes from the high concentration of THC crystals,

the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that gets you high.

Ah, high kick.

I want to know if the farmer gives any thought

to where his super skunk goes.

Where does this end up?

Who is smoking this at the end?

You don't care if it's in London or South Africa,

as long as you get the best price.

It's not just small farmers profiting from the cannabis trade here,

there are smugglers too.

It's their job to pack the weed and get it across the border.

I want to find out how the drug is trafficked out of Swaziland.

Some guys have agreed to speak to me but I have to wait till nightfall.

I'm on my way now to go and meet one of the local traffickers here.

So he'll personally take the weed across the border.

Dying to hear what that involves.

It's really important that we keep a low profile.

So we're going to turn the cameras off now

and then ideally they'll be back on when we're in his house.

Inside, I meet two guys whose job it is to get the cannabis

to South Africa and into the hands of smugglers like Mr Green.

So tell me about your stuff, it's good?

-Yeah.

-Strong?

God, you've got a lot there.

-It smells so strong.

-Yeah.

They seem like ordinary guys, but these lads are basically

criminals, part of a huge illegal cannabis smuggling operation.

What will you do with this?

And then you drive the car yourself over the border?

And how many of these parcels will you put in a car per trip?

20 kilos?

Wow.

How much for one trip, 20 kilos of the best, best stuff,

how much will you get paid per kilo?

-So that's £3-400 sterling.

-Mm.

That's a lot of money if you're selling 20 kilos.

What do you do with that money?

How many cars you got?

You've got five cars.

Have you ever been in a situation where the police have clocked on

to what you're doing and you have to bribe them?

How much do you have to pay authorities to turn a blind eye?

Two thousand rand.

Is this the only way you can make this kind of money?

The traffickers don't seem too worried

about the illegal activity they're part of.

The fact they could face 25 years inside

doesn't seem to bother them either.

They are confident they can bribe their way out of any trouble

they may get into.

When you start asking them how much they're earning,

and that's very, very different to the situation at the farm.

You know, they're doing it to feed themselves

and pay for school fees. These lads have got five cars.

So you can already see a stark difference.

But it does sound like the closer the cannabis gets

to its final destination, the more people can benefit

and the more money can be made.

Top grade Swazi skunk fetches the best price,

which is why containers full are shipped over to Europe and the UK.

But not all of the cannabis goes abroad.

A large proportion ends up being sold on the streets of South Africa.

Drug consumption within South Africa is twice the world's norm,

and just in this state alone, over 26,000 drug-related cases

were reported last year.

So it's Saturday night, I'm out with the police.

I'd say it's going to be busy.

Tonight, I'm hooking up with the South African Police in Ennerdale

on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

-Yes.

-OK.

One, two, one, two...

Captain.

I'm very well. Thank you so much for having me.

I'm OK to shadow you and your workers this evening?

What is the plan?

I'm feeling a little bit nervous but we will be OK.

HE LAUGHS

I do a bit. I've got no bulletproof and no gun.

Last year, the police seized almost 20,000 tonnes of cannabis

and this evening they're targeting the homes of suspected drug dealers.

I join Captain Morontsi

and 28 other officers on the first raid of the night.

So, Captain, how many addresses do you estimate you will visit

this evening?

Got you.

So this is the first address.

Am I staying in the car until you tell me I can come out?

OK.

I cannot believe how many police there are here, look around this.

Perhaps 10, 15 police vans

and police cars have driven up to this address.

They all had their guns, some had AK-47s, some had pistols,

they kicked this gate in and they've all now

made their way into this property.

So the windows and the doors are all barred, they're all gated.

I've been told it's safe to come to this point

but, really, I'm not looking to push my luck.

This is Johannesburg.

It's late at night, everyone's got a gun except me

and we're doorstepping drug dealers.

At the first house there are no dealers and no drugs...

..so it's off to the next house on their list.

Oh, it looks lively, it's lively.

Oh, my goodness gracious.

DISTORTED LOUDSPEAKER BLARES

-It's OK?

-Yes, you can go.

I get the all clear to enter where I find two guys who've been

arrested after trying to make a run for it.

They haven't found any cannabis

but they have uncovered a box of drugs.

You found what you were looking for.

Just here.

So you think these boys are involved?

You don't know anything about this?

It's such a difficult situation.

You know, he's not even 19 yet, this lad behind me.

They've no idea who the drugs belong to.

You know, this address is on their radar for a reason,

so somebody here is dealing.

What's the story?

As the police catalogue the drugs they've seized,

the landlord's son turns up.

Can I speak to you very quickly? Is that possible?

-Yes.

-Thank you. This is your house?

Do you know why they are in your mother's house?

Is it true that you are selling drugs?

Did you used to sell?

But now you've quit?

You've given that life up.

So how come there are still drugs?

Is that not a concern for you that you don't know how

drugs are getting into your place?

What... What is your position now? What can you do?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying.

But I guess my question to you is have you is have you got, erm,

enough evidence to arrest these guys?

OK.

No money has been found at the scene

so there's no proof the boys were selling drugs.

But the police aren't satisfied with one of the boys' story

and they want to question him further.

He was eventually charged with possession of crystal meth

but never turned up for court.

I can see from my time with the police how tough it is for them

to get to the root of the growing drug issue.

Cannabis users in search of ever bigger highs are now mixing

weed with other more dangerous

and toxic chemicals, creating a much more powerful and addictive drug.

I head to Ivory Park, where large groups of young men

spend their days smoking a new cannabis cocktail they call nyaope.

Hello. What's your name?

My name is...

Tracker. I'm Stacey.

Tell me about you and your friends.

Just chillin', smoking.

And what're you boys smoking, nyaope?

And what's your pal doing here with the glass?

I see.

Nyaope is a mix of cannabis and heroin that's often cut with

HIV drugs, rat poison and other toxic substances.

The nyaope boys smoke their cannabis-laced joints

whilst, just metres away,

there's a bustling market and children playing.

I'm just astonished that this is going on

in broad daylight at the side of one of the busiest markets, you know,

the police must know that these boys are here.

The heroin content in nyaope may be as low as 10%

but it makes these cannabis joints highly addictive.

Without nyaope in their system, the heroin withdrawals soon kick in.

Restlessness, bone pain, insomnia, vomiting and stomach cramps -

these are what the nyaope boys call the downs.

So how much nyaope can you boys smoke a day?

-You smoke 15 of them bags a day?

-Yeah.

And when you haven't got the nyaope, how do you feel?

You want help?

The combination of cannabis and heroin is

so addictive, the nyaope boys will do or sell anything

to get the money they need for their next fix.

This lad to the left is trying to sell me earrings.

Show me what you've got.

You're trying to sell these?

So make-up and earrings?

Did you just steal these from the market?

How much nyaope have you already smoked today?

-You've smoked 12 bags today?

-Yeah.

How old are you?

-18.

-18 years old.

OK.

It's not unusual for kids as young as 14 to become

addicted to this cannabis-heroin mix

and recent reports suggest the age is dropping further.

It is just mad.

You know, so many of these guys want help.

They say, "I don't want to do this shit any more, it's disgusting,

"it's dirty, I'm dying."

But, realistically, you know,

the nearest rehab clinic is an hour's drive.

As if they've got a car, as if they can get there.

It's...

And it's like they know that. It's like they know...

..that really and truly there's very little chance that the help

is going to come to them

or they're going to be able to get themselves to it.

And it's a shame when you see guys

living in this shitty environment, clucking every time they see

someone with five rand because they think, "That's another hit."

But that's the reality.

It's estimated that 15% of South Africans have a drug addiction

and health officials fear that, with the rise in nyaope,

this figure could go much higher.

So I want to know how harmful this cannabis cocktail is.

I've come to Evaton, a township south of Johannesburg,

to visit a drug support group based in a local health centre.

The group is run twice a week by community therapist Girlie

and nurse Vivian.

They now see nyaope as the most dangerous addiction

they have to deal with.

What are the most severe side effects

of cannabis, dagga and nyaope?

Mental illness, like, episodes of psychosis?

Can that last for the rest of their lives?

You know, I think some people can be quite dismissive of the effects that

cannabis can have. How hard is it to say, "No, no, I'm not doing it"?

Not only is African weed strong enough to cause

serious mental health problems on its own

but all of the nyaope addicts

in this room started off smoking cannabis or dagga.

It's accurate to say that nyaope can kill your young people here?

And who are new? A couple of you are new.

You're new, you're new, you're new. Are you new?

Four new people?

How long have you been here?

A couple of weeks. How are you finding it?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

When was the last time you smoked nyaope?

-That's good.

-Yes.

-You've been clean for three days?

-Yes.

Cos of the cramps?

How old are you?

18.

When did you start?

-SHE WHISTLES

-14?

-Yes.

APPLAUSE

It's good to see someone so young

and so determined trying to quit nyaope

but Tulu has an especially shocking tale.

Tulu tells me how stealing to feed his nyaope habit led to him

being brutally stabbed.

-And you said your organs were hanging out?

-Yeah.

-So it's a miracle you survived?

-Yes.

Why have you decided that

you just don't want to be smoking this any more?

Mum and Dad have passed?

And you're...

How old were you?

So who's been looking after you since you were 11?

You OK?

You just wish that people weren't in this position but unfortunately

they are and there's a lot of them living a life like that.

It's rough. And, you know, I'm so privileged and I...

Every time I come to places like this I think, "Shit, you know what?

"Truly, we have no idea, like."

If you're young and you're skint and you've not got...

..anyone for guidance, there's every chance that

these boys are going to be drawn to,

you know, the cannabis-heroin mix.

I've seen addicts smoking drugs in a disused market

but I've heard there's an even bigger

and more shocking drug problem in the heart of the city.

I head back to Johannesburg,

to a part of town with a lawless reputation.

Hillbrow is an overpopulated inner-city neighbourhood

where unemployment, poverty and above all, drug use, is rocketing.

This is notoriously rough.

I'm in a park that the locals refer to as crack park

because, to state the obvious, there's 60, 70 people,

perhaps more, openly smoking crack and heroin and nyaope.

You know, the very fact I drove past perhaps half a dozen police cars

to get to this point just shows you how frustrating it must be

for South Africans who look at this every single day,

day in day out, then look a couple of roads down

and see the police seemingly doing very little.

There's a police car here.

So I'm almost certain... Oh, and there's a police van.

I'm almost certain they won't get out,

even though there's perhaps 50 people behind me

smoking crack and nyaope.

And the police are seemingly doing absolutely nothing.

I've never come across anything quite like this.

I've not. You know, when I see crack addicts or heroin addicts -

I see them down the alley or I see them under the bridge.

You know, this is happening maybe 100 yards away

from the kids that are swinging round up near the slides.

It's insane.

It's clear the police are doing very little

about the drug use in this park.

Some communities have had enough of drug dealing on their streets.

They've decided if the police won't take action, they will.

I head out to a township called Tembisa where the locals

are tackling their drug problem head on.

Stacey, meet my deputy president, Moses.

-How do you do? Moses.

-Moses, yes.

-Very nice to meet you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for having me.

-Meet my president.

-How do you do?

-I'm well.

-You're the president, are you?

-Yeah, this is the president.

-Ah.

-Big boss.

-OK.

I'll watch my manners in front of you.

THEY LAUGH

Frustrated residents often form large mobs

to hand out vigilante justice.

In some cases it has even resulted in drug users being beaten to death.

But here, they openly confront the dealers on their streets.

This gentleman, he's one of the kingpins. He's selling drugs.

We once spoke to him so that he must understand -

we don't want drugs here. But he's continuing selling drugs.

And he knows that we are not killers,

-and he knows that we're not going to beat him.

-Yep.

-You see?

A lot of people would say that this is very much the police's job.

-Yes.

-Are you doing what they should be doing?

He said that you're dealing a lot of cannabis and the nyaope.

-Is that true?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Are you selling it to children, to young kids?

How young is your youngest customer?

-You feel comfortable with that?

-No.

This nyaope dealer has been selling drugs for ten years.

It's no secret to the community or the police.

So you pay the police off, do you?

That's why you've never been arrested?

How much do you pay the police to turn a blind eye?

How often do you pay the police off?

Every day?

That's insane, no? It's totally crazy.

But it's true.

I love that this organisation are so passionate

and they are really trying everything within themselves

to make this a better place for their kids. But really and truly,

they've had this conversation with him 100 times.

They grew up together. I know they've brought the elder in

because I know in Africa elders really are of great importance.

This guy's not going to change

unless he's going to prison, in my opinion.

And the likelihood of that happening sounds like it's very slim, because

he's just told me he pays off police officers every single day.

So it's pretty hopeless.

If confronting the dealers doesn't work, they go further still.

SINGING:

They head out looking for the cannabis plants and cut them down.

So probably that ganja belongs to one of you guys.

I'm making an appeal to you guys, please stop it.

It's good for you to grow vegetables. It's good for us all.

But you growing that weed,

you're killing the community.

You know exactly who the owner is. He's among you guys, I know.

Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

-Hallelujah!

THEY SING

The celebration seems to be lasting a lot longer than the eradication.

I'm sort of quite down with that.

They're singing, "We've had enough, we're tired of nyaope.

"Don't want it any more."

I find what they're doing very admirable.

It's amazing that they have such passion

and they're going out onto the streets themselves.

You know, they've seen their kids die because of this stuff.

This group of elders do what they do

because they believe the police aren't doing enough.

The drug problem in South Africa

seems to have spiralled out of control.

It was time for me to challenge the police directly

on how they're tackling the problem, and ask about the allegations

of police corruption I keep hearing about.

Hello.

I've arranged to speak to the main spokesman

for the South African police, Captain Paul Ramaloko.

First of all I wanted to talk to you about crack park,

Hillbrow - near that area.

It's evident, it's obvious, that there are 100 people

every day openly smoking crack, heroin, injecting.

You've got five or six police cars driving around this park,

seemingly not doing a thing.

You look at your younger generation

and they are being ravaged by this nyaope.

But are they trying, Paul? I think

that's why everyone's so frustrated here, because it doesn't seem

like your people feel like the police are really trying

to make this a better place for them. They don't feel like that.

Next, I tackle the captain about the huge amounts of cannabis

being trafficked from South Africa to Europe.

A lot of the cannabis, a lot of the weed that is grown

in South Africa and Swaziland is ending up in the UK.

What work are you guys doing to try and minimise that?

They're very sophisticated.

It seems like they're always one step ahead of you.

One of the main reasons that I wanted to have a conversation

with you today is about how vulnerable

you believe your borders are in terms of cannabis

coming from Swaziland and other neighbouring countries.

Is what you're saying more work does need to be done to make sure

that these guys who are trafficking cannabis

back and forth are not being able to do so with the help

of your police officers, that needs to be looked at?

Well, thank you for your time.

-Thank you very much.

-Good luck. Thank you.

-OK, thanks.

Although the captain assures me

the police are on top of South Africa's drug problems,

I feel they've still got a long way to go.

For me, just from everything I've learnt here,

it just seems so clear that unless they seriously tackle corruption

then they've got no chance at even scratching the surface

when it comes to the drug issues.

My time in South Africa has almost come to an end,

but before I leave I catch up with Tulu,

the young nyaope addict I met at rehab.

-Tulu!

-Hey, Stacey!

-My friend.

-How are you?

-How are you feeling today?

-Fine, Stacey.

-You feel good?

-Yes.

-Strong?

-Stronger.

-Good man. Can I come in?

-Yes, welcome.

I want to know how he's coping without drugs.

So I last saw you three days ago.

-Yes.

-Any nyaope since?

-No.

-Nothing?

-No.

-Tomorrow is Friday.

-Yes.

-And then comes the weekend.

-That's when all your boys will start smoking lots of nyaope.

-Yes.

Are you worried about the weekend?

Good for you.

SHE LAUGHS

Tulu seems to be coping really well,

which is good news for him and his little sister.

Hello.

-Have you just finished school?

-Yes.

How was it?

Yeah?

What's your favourite lesson? Your favourite subject?

What do you want to do when you're older?

A doctor?

Why are you crying?

Why are you so emotional? Huh?

You're probably feeling like this cos you've...

For the past couple of years you've had your head in a different space.

You've never had a chance to clearly think about what's gone on.

OK?

Bye!

He's so vulnerable.

He's a baby. He's just 18.

And you know, the pain you go through of losing one parent

can be unbearable.

But to lose two is just so rough.

But his little sister, you know,

she's beautiful and she wants to be a doctor

and it's a really, really, really, depressing situation.

And I know in his heart he believes

that everything he's saying is true.

I know he really thinks he's never going to smoke nyaope again

but I know what his chances are.

Tulu faces an uphill struggle to stay off drugs.

A few weeks after we said goodbye, he stopped going to rehab.

What struck me most about my time in South Africa

is the devastating effect that high strength cannabis and nyaope

has had on users and their communities.

It makes me worry about what might happen

if more and more of these drugs are smuggled into the UK.