Mexicans arrested in raid on South African meth lab containing $108 million in illegal drugs

South African law enforcement officials arrested five suspects, including three Mexican nationals, who were allegedly involved in orchestrating a secret crystal meth lab operating on a rural farm, according to reports.

The country’s police force found the secret lab on a farm in the northern town of Groblersdal after they received a report about “suspicious activities,” according to a statement from a special police unit known as The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).

The DCPI investigates corruption, economic crimes, organized crime, and other crimes it is directed to probe by order of the president. The unit, now known commonly as “The Hawks,” was created in 2008 after the country disbanded a similar predecessor unit known as “The Scorpions.”

DCPI raided the lab and were surprised to find that it was producing a high amount of crystal meth, which they allege was being manufactured for shipments and distribution both domestically and internationally.

Four men from the farm, two Mexican nationals and two South Africans were charged in a Groblersdal courtroom and will return on August 1 to formally enter a plea.

The two Mexicans have been identified as 43-year old Gutierrez Lopes and 51-year old Gonzales Jorge, and the two South Africans were identified as 35-year old Simphiwe Khumalo and 67-year old Frederick Botha. The farm’s owner was among those charged, according to the AFP news agency.

A third Mexican national, Ruben Vidal Rodriguez, was later detained on charges of dealing, manufacturing and possession of illicit drugs.

Rodriguez appeared in court on Tuesday apart from the other suspects. His case is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, at which time he will most likely also be asked to enter a plea.

The five men were all detained after police searched the farm and found the lab, which authorities have said was producing a total amount of meth with street value of about $108 million.

Officers also found chemicals used to manufacture the drug, such as acetone.

“What makes this different from other [seizures] is the involvement of Mexican citizens,” Katlego Mogale, a Hawks spokesperson said, according to a report published by AFP. “It means that our task has just become very difficult.”

Reports indicate the Hawks have made 34 arrests in connection with 10 different drug labs this year.

“South Africa's geography and porous borders made it an appealing transit location for drugs destined for Asia, North American and western Europe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report last year,” reported the BBC.

The country is considered a common transit location for illegal narcotics and is recognized as one of the most significant meth markets in the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.