Five arrested after R600m crystal meth lab bust in Musina
South African police have arrested five people after uncovering an alleged crystal methamphetamine manufacturing operation on a farm in Musina, Limpopo. The multi-agency operation, which took place late on Thursday night, followed a two-month intelligence-driven investigation, according to the Hawks, the country's priority crime investigation unit.
During the raid, authorities seized drugs and laboratory equipment with an estimated street value of R600 million, as well as an undisclosed amount of cash. The value was reported by EWN, while Africa News put the figure at over $37 million. The discrepancy in the reported value could not be reconciled from the available information.
Police described the discovery as having "exposed an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution."
The suspects, aged between 20 and 47, comprise two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabweans, and a Malawian. They are due to appear in the Musina Magistrates Court on Monday to face charges linked to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Avele Fumba said this was the "third clandestine drug laboratory to be shut down in Limpopo." The head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Major-General Gopz Govender, said: "We have struck at the machinery behind the drug trade. This R600-million seizure is not merely a quantity of drugs taken off the streets; it represents the disruption of an entire criminal enterprise. We will follow the money, the networks and every person connected to this operation. There will be nowhere to hide."
Forensic teams and senior provincial police officers are at the scene, according to EWN.
The bust follows a series of drug raids in recent months involving Mexican nationals, leading authorities to suspect that Latin American cartels are expanding into Africa, as reported by Africa News. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, in a 2025 report, said drug labs in South Africa and Mozambique "are emblematic of the expansion of Latin American cartels into Africa and cooperation with local criminal groups." The same organisation notes that South Africa is a major consumer of meth and that the market is growing in neighbouring countries.
Limpopo's head of the Hawks said the operation would send a clear warning to organised criminal networks.