By Levy Masiteng
A suspected crystal methamphetamine manufacturing laboratory worth an estimated R600 million has been uncovered on a farm in Musina, Limpopo, with five foreign nationals arrested.
This was through a major intelligence-driven operation targeting an alleged organised drug manufacturing network.
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The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), working with the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African Narcotics Bureau (SANEB) Head Office, Crime Intelligence, the Hawks in Limpopo, the Special Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security, raided the suspected clandestine laboratory during the late hours of Thursday.
Drugs and laboratory equipment with an estimated street value of R600 million, together with an undisclosed amount of cash, were seized.
The five suspects arrested are aged between 20 and 47 and comprise two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabwean nationals and one Malawian national.
The operation followed a two-month investigation into suspected drug manufacturing activities at the farm in the Vhembe District.
The latest bust is the third clandestine drug laboratory to have been shut down in Limpopo, according to the Hawks.
Limpopo has previously been linked to major drug-manufacturing operations.
In July 2024, Hawks and SAPS investigators uncovered a clandestine laboratory on a farm in Groblersdal, where four suspects, including two Mexican nationals, were initially arrested.
Police recovered chemicals used in drug manufacturing as well as crystal meth with an estimated street value of R2 billion.
The Groblersdal investigation also highlighted the international dimension of the illicit drug trade.
Parliament was later told that the Hawks had identified international links to major drug operations in Limpopo and raised concerns about the province’s porous borders and its position as a potential route for cross-border drug trafficking.
The latest arrests came amid heightened national attention on large-scale clandestine drug laboratories and alleged links involving foreign nationals.
In May this year, police dismantled another major suspected drug-manufacturing operation on a farm in Swartruggens, North West, where hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and chemicals valued at more than R1 billion were seized.
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The case also involved Mexican, Mozambican, Zimbabwean and South African suspects.
“We have struck at the machinery behind the drug trade,” Hawks Limpopo Provincial Head Major General Adv. Gopz Govender said.
“We will follow the money, the networks and every person connected to this operation. There will be nowhere to hide.”
Limpopo SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers warned that those involved in the manufacture and distribution of dangerous substances should expect continued law-enforcement action.
The five suspects are expected to make their first appearance in the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 24 August 2026.
They are expected to face charges relating to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs, while the Hawks said additional charges could be added as the investigation progresses.
“We will not allow our communities to become markets for criminal syndicates,” Scheepers said.
