By Palesa Matlala
- Police raided a farm in Swartruggens and uncovered a drug laboratory worth R100 million in an operation involving elite police units.
- Eleven suspects, including four Mexican nationals and one woman, were arrested as police cracked down on an organised drug syndicate operating from a North West farm.
Police stormed a farm in Swartruggens on Wednesday and found a drug manufacturing laboratory worth an estimated R100 million. Eleven people are under arrest. Four of them are Mexican nationals.
The raid targeted Portion 45 Farm Brakspruit in the North West. The farm had been operating as a game farm. Crime Intelligence at the National Head Office received information about the operation before specialised units moved in. The operation brought together National Head Office Crime Intelligence, Organised Crime Investigations and the Hawks.
The farm was still an active crime scene on Wednesday as officers searched the property for more evidence.
“It remains an active crime scene with police officers still busy on the farm,” said national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
Police have not yet confirmed what type of drugs were being manufactured at the site. The owner of the property was not present when police arrived.
Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane praised the officers involved and said police are intensifying efforts to destroy organised crime networks across the country.
“The latest drug bust must send a stern warning to criminals that the South African Police Service remains resolute and relentless in the fight against crime,” she said.
The bust is part of a broader crackdown. In the past week alone, police arrested 280 suspects for drug dealing and another 2,573 for possession during nationwide operations.
Investigations into the Swartruggens laboratory are continuing.
Pictured above: Police arrested 11 suspects after uncovering a multimillion rand drug laboratory on a farm in Swartruggens.
Image source: South African Police Service
