Three Mexicans arrested in major drug raid in South Africa

A third Mexican was arrested on Monday, the spokeswoman for the elite Hawks unit told AFP.

“The drugs were obviously intended for local and international sale,” Brigadier General Thandi Mbambo told AFP, adding that the production facility operated “on a large scale”.

Authorities also seized large quantities of chemicals used to make illegal drugs, including crystal meth and acetone, worth around two billion rand (more than $100 million), police said.

The Hawks and other special forces searched the farm in Limpopo province after receiving indications of suspicious activity there.

Police photos showed that it was a fairly complex operation involving large machinery.

South Africa is a major user of meth, and the market is also growing in neighboring countries and other parts of the region, according to a 2021 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated in a 2023 report that South Africa’s geography and porous borders make it an attractive transit point for illicit drugs bound for Asia, Western Europe, North America and Asia.

The drug agency said it is believed that containers of cocaine that are in transit and do not even come ashore regularly arrive at the country’s ports.

zam/br/ach