South African police have arrested four people, including two Mexican nationals, after discovering a multi-million dollar drug manufacturing laboratory on a farm in the north of the country.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as Hawksraided the property in the town of Groblersdal after receiving information that suspicious activity was taking place there, the SAPS said in a statement.
After searching four structures on the property, police found large quantities of chemicals used to manufacture illicit drugs, including acetone and methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of 2 billion South African rand ($109.4 million).
The four suspects arrested on Friday (19) include the farm owner and two Mexican citizens, the police service said, adding that the Hawks do not rule out the possibility of new arrests.
“What makes this different from others? [apreensões] is the involvement of Mexican citizens,” said Katlego Mogale, national spokesman for the Hawkstold Reuters. “This means that our task has become very difficult.”
It is unclear whether the seized drugs were destined for the South African market or overseas.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said its embassy in South Africa “has not received the respective consular notification and is in contact with local authorities to find out the details of the case and the alleged Mexicans involved.”
The suspects will appear in Groblersdal court on Monday (22) on charges of manufacturing, trafficking and possession of illicit drugs, according to the police service.
In January, police said some 131 drug labs had been shut down across the country since 2019, adding that during last year’s “peak season” more than 19,000 people were arrested for drug possession.
So far this year, the Hawks uncovered 10 secret drug labs and arrested 34 people as they continue their war on drugs in the country, the statement said.
South Africa is considered one of the “largest methamphetamine consumer markets in the world”researchers from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime highlighted in a 2021 report.
The country was also described by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) last year as “a country attractive for drug transit”.
The UNODC attributed the country’s growing synthetic drug market to its “porous borders” as well as its geography and international trade links.
Source: CNN Brasil
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