PICS | Two Mexicans among five arrested in R600m crystal meth lab bust in Limpopo
Law enforcement agencies, including the Hawks and the US DEA, raided a large-scale crystal meth lab in Limpopo, South Africa, resulting in five arrests. The operation seized drugs and equipment valued at approximately R600 million, marking a significant disruption to a criminal syndicate.
Why it matters
The involvement of international agencies highlights the global nature of drug trafficking networks and the increasing scale of illicit manufacturing in South Africa.
Ask AI 1 min Steel drums and pipework set up in the open on the Musina farm where the Hawks say drugs were manufactured on an industrial scale
Two Mexicans were among five people arrested at a crystal meth lab worth more than half a billion rand on a farm in Musina, Limpopo.
The lab was raided late on Thursday night.
The blitz was carried out by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, alongside the Hawks, SAPS, the South African Narcotics Bureau, Crime Intelligence and the Special Task Force.
Hawks spokesman Colonel Avele Fumba said drugs and laboratory equipment worth an estimated R600m were seized, along with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Two are Mexican, two are Zimbabwean, and one is Malawian.
Fumba said the raid followed a two-month investigation into drug manufacturing on the farm, and that the lab was set up for industrial-scale production.
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