Key facts
- A large crystal methamphetamine laboratory was discovered on a farm in Musina, Limpopo province, South Africa.
- Two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabweans, and one Malawian were arrested in connection with the lab.
- The operation followed a two-month investigation into suspicious activities at the farm.
- Police seized drugs and equipment valued at approximately 600 million rand ($37 million) and an undisclosed amount of cash.
- This discovery is part of a larger trend of Mexican-operated drug labs being found across Africa.
South African police have arrested five individuals, including two Mexican nationals, following the discovery of a large crystal methamphetamine laboratory on a farm near Musina in the Limpopo province. The raid, which occurred overnight, was the culmination of a two-month investigation into suspicious activities at the property. In addition to the arrests, authorities seized drugs and equipment estimated to be worth approximately 600 million rand ($37 million), along with an undisclosed sum of cash.
This incident is part of a broader pattern observed over the past two years, where South African police have uncovered numerous large meth labs on remote farms, often involving Mexican nationals. Recent similar operations include the arrest of 11 people, four of them Mexican, in May for a suspected $6 million drug lab, and the dismantling of a $20 million meth lab in September last year involving five Mexicans. In July 2024, three Mexicans were among those arrested at a Limpopo farm where a lab and drugs worth $108 million were found.
Police described the Musina discovery as an "alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation" designed for manufacturing dangerous illicit substances. South Africa is recognized as one of the largest crystal meth consumer markets globally, and its geography and porous borders make it a significant transit point for illegal drugs. The trend extends beyond South Africa, with Nigeria's drug enforcement agency recently dismantling a multi-million-dollar Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate. Counter-narcotics officials from the US-Africa Command (Africom) have reported that since 2023, 14 Mexican-operated laboratories have been raided across Africa, including in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa, indicating an increasing use of the continent by Mexican criminal cartels for drug production.