Drugs worth approximately R100m have been seized during a raid at an alleged drug laboratory at Portia 45 Farm in Brakspruit, said Hawks spokesperson Col. Katlego Mogale. The suspects include Mexican nationals and a woman.

The latest drug bust follows another significant operation conducted by the Hawks in December, when six suspects were arrested after a multimillion-rand clandestine drug laboratory was uncovered in Makapanstad.

Equipment used in an alleged drug laboratory on a farm in North West. Photo: SAPS

Members of the Hawks’ Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation (Soci) in the Western Cape, working alongside the police's counter-narcotics and gang team, traced information linked to a suspect who had fled in a separate drug proliferation case.

'Police found suspects busy producing mandrax tablets'

Investigations led officers to a smallholding in Thulwe, North West, where an allegedly illegal drug operation was uncovered, said Mogale. Upon arrival at the property, officers reportedly found six suspects, 44 to 45, actively involved in the production of mandrax.

Large quantities of tablets and powder were seized, along with equipment including a drug press, crusher machine, weighing scales and packaging materials. The suspects were arrested as investigations continued into the drug manufacturing network.

In October a team was set up in Potchefstroom to clamp down on dagga smuggling between Gauteng and North West. They made a breakthrough in December when police and a security company found 440kg dagga inside a Toyota Hilux in Potchefstroom, said North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone.

The two occupants, Monica Mnyakeni, 60, and Gerald Mnyakeni, 25, were arrested and appeared in the local magistrate’s court.

In Bloemhof, another Toyota Hilux was stopped on the N12, where Khumbo Mahlalela, 24, was arrested after the vehicle was found loaded with 259kg dagga. Investigations continue.

Police confiscated both vehicles, which they established were headed for Kimberley, where the drugs were stored and sold at various addresses in Garies.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi  cvdw

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