Two Mexicans arrested as police uncover big meth lab on South African farm
The overnight raid of the multi-million dollar drug operation took place near the border with Zimbabwe.
South African authorities have apprehended two Mexican nationals following the discovery of a substantial crystal methamphetamine production facility on a farm in the country's northern region. The laboratory, estimated to be worth millions of dollars, was uncovered during an overnight raid near Musina, a town in Limpopo province situated close to the Zimbabwean border. In addition to the two Mexicans, two Zimbabweans and one Malawian national were also taken into custody.
Police indicated that the raid was the culmination of a two-month investigation into suspicious activities at the farm. The operation resulted in the seizure of drugs and equipment valued at approximately 600 million rand ($37 million; £27 million), along with an undisclosed sum of cash.
This incident marks another in a series of large-scale meth labs found on secluded South African farms over the past two years, many of which have involved Mexican nationals. In May, police arrested 11 individuals, including four Mexicans, after uncovering a suspected drug lab worth $6 million on a remote farm northwest of Johannesburg. Last September, five Mexicans were arrested when police dismantled a crystal meth lab with drugs valued at $20 million on a farm in the eastern part of the country. Furthermore, in July 2024, three Mexicans were among those arrested at a remote farm in Limpopo province where a crystal meth lab and drugs worth $108 million were discovered.
The five suspects from the Musina farm are scheduled to appear in court on Monday to face charges related to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs. In a statement, police described the discovery as exposing "an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution."
According to the 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report, South Africa is recognized as one of the world's largest consumer markets for crystal meth. The UN also notes that the country's geographical location and "porous borders" make it an ideal transit point for illicit drugs.
South Africa is not the only African nation where illicit laboratories have been found. In May of this year, Nigeria's drug enforcement agency announced it had delivered "another crippling blow" by dismantling "a highly sophisticated, multi-million-dollar Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate." The lab central to an ongoing court case was discovered in a densely forested area of the West African country.
Counter-narcotics officials from the US-Africa Command (Africom) recently informed the BBC that since 2023, 14 Mexican-operated laboratories have been raided across the continent, specifically in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa. Experts interpret this trend as an indication that Mexican criminal cartels are increasingly utilizing Africa not only as a trafficking hub but also as a production base.