Police in South Africa conducted a raid on a farm near Musina in Limpopo province following a two-month investigation into suspicious activities at the site. The operation resulted in the arrest of five individuals: two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabweans, and one citizen of Malawi. Authorities seized drugs and equipment valued at around 600 million rand, along with an undisclosed quantity of cash.
This discovery is part of a broader pattern of large-scale methamphetamine operations being uncovered at remote farms across South Africa. Over the preceding two years, multiple similar facilities have been identified, with many involving Mexican nationals. In May, law enforcement arrested 11 people, including four Mexicans, at a suspected drug lab northwest of Johannesburg valued at $6 million. Earlier operations included the dismantling of a crystal meth facility in September of the previous year worth $20 million, which resulted in five Mexican arrests, and a 2024 operation in Limpopo province that led to the arrest of three Mexicans and others when authorities uncovered drugs and equipment worth $108 million.
Police described the Musina operation as exposing an “alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation” designed to manufacture and distribute dangerous illicit substances. The five suspects are scheduled to face court proceedings to answer charges related to drug manufacture and possession.
South Africa maintains its position as one of the world’s largest crystal methamphetamine consumer markets, according to the 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report. The United Nations has identified the country’s geography and porous borders as factors that make it an attractive transit point for illicit drugs. Counter-narcotics officials from US-Africa Command reported that 14 Mexican-operated laboratories have been raided across the African continent since 2023, located in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa. This trend suggests that Mexican criminal cartels are increasingly establishing production facilities in Africa rather than solely using the continent as a trafficking corridor.
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