Five foreign nationals are in custody following the dismantling of a R600 million crystal meth lab in Musina, highlighting South Africa’s growing role in transnational drug trafficking.
Image: SAPS
The discovery of a R600 million crystal methamphetamine laboratory on a farm in Musina has raised the alarm over the escalating threat of transnational drug cartels using South Africa as a manufacturing and distribution hub.
In a joint intelligence-driven operation, the Hawks and the SAPS seized drugs and equipment with an estimated street value of R600 million and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Five suspects, two Mexican nationals and three Zimbabwean nationals, were arrested in the August 20 operation.
The arrest followed an intensive two-month investigation into suspected drug manufacturing activities on the farm.
The operation is believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution. This was the third clandestine drug laboratory to be shut down in Limpopo.
The suspects, Verdogo Marioano Barrera, 48, Leon Castilo Juan, 39, Nyamukanga Tichaona Roy, 23, Mabayi Lee, 35, and Nyamukanga Tanaka Royce, 20, made a brief appearance in the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Monday, on charges of manufacturing a scheduled substance, dealing in drugs, possession of drugs, money laundering and contravention of the Immigration Act.
They remain in custody. The matter was postponed to Friday to arrange interpreters.
IRS Forensic Investigations CEO Chad Thomas noted that South Africa has become a major transnational hub.
International syndicates use the country to process and transship drugs, including cocaine from South America and heroin from Afghanistan, for export to other global jurisdictions.
Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Transnational Threats and Organised Crime senior researcher Martin Ewi noted that the frequent dismantling of clandestine labs indicates a growing, mainstream methamphetamine market in South Africa, serving both local and regional needs.
He also highlighted a rising trend in methamphetamine seizures across Africa and an increasing connection to Mexican drug trafficking networks.
“The current evidence suggests that North America is the one now supplying drugs to Africa, or at least has the capability for manufacturing these drugs and also trading in these drugs. The market, in my view, is being controlled by Mexican cartels,” Ewi said.
He said the increasing frequency of lab seizures and dismantlements suggests a huge market for these drugs, both within South Africa and across the region.
Ewi explained that Mexican cartels operate across Africa wherever they find space — regions or areas with low detection, weak security, and populations or authorities that are amenable to corruption.
Authorities dismantled a suspected clandestine drug laboratory in the Vhembe District.
Image: SAPS
“They go to where there is the market. If the market is huge in Southern Africa, or the market is huge in Africa and they’re looking for a supplier hub, if South Africa could provide that supplier hub, which is what we are seeing increasingly,” Ewi said.
Ewi suggested that current interagency efforts are insufficient to fully dismantle drug syndicates on their own. He emphasised the need to reinforce community policing, arguing that residents must be educated and trained to detect suspicious activities.
He also called for a stronger crackdown on those who facilitate these operations, ensuring that anyone providing support or space to drug kingpins faces the same justice as the dealers themselves.
According to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), the arrest of Mexicans adds to the growing trend of Mexican involvement in drug production in South Africa since 2024, with Mexican cartels expanding synthetic drug production into Africa since 2010.
“But why are Mexican cartels operating in South Africa? The country does have a substantial domestic methamphetamine market, but what we’re seeing is not necessarily a growth in local users. Instead, Mexican cartels are expanding their production capacity across Africa as well as globally. South Africa is well connected, providing supply routes from Latin America and Australia, as well as acting as a transit hub for drug shipments to Europe and Asia,” the GI-TOC said.
“There have been five major raids on clandestine drug sites with a link to Mexican cartels since 2024, and all of them were big production sites. Clearly, the methamphetamine being made is not only for local supply, but also for international markets.”
The Musina property where police seized drugs, equipment and cash with an estimated street value of R600 million.
Image: SAPS
The organisation said that despite South Africa’s superior law enforcement and regional partnerships, Mexican-style methamphetamine has been supplied to the country from Nigeria since 2013, with similar labs appearing elsewhere in the region.
The cooperation between violent Mexican cartels and powerful Nigerian crime groups in South Africa poses a significant threat, potentially causing serious harm across the entire region.
