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Police said 11 people have been arrested, including four suspects believed to be Mexican nationals, after a national crime intelligence unit uncovered a drug laboratory in North West on Wednesday.
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the facility is estimated to be a R100m operation.
Mathe said investigations are ongoing and the crime scene is active.
#sapsHQ [DEVELOPING] Update: A total of 11 suspects including one female were arrested at the scene in Swartruggens, North West Province. Among the arrested, 4 suspects, suspected to be Mexicans. #DrugLab #DrugsOffTheStreets ME https://t.co/hIipdY6BL4 pic.twitter.com/MoULL4884Z
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 13, 2026
A woman is among those arrested, she said.
In 2025, police arrested five Mexicans after the discovery of a multi-million rand clandestine crystal meth laboratory at a farm outside Volksrust, Mpumalanga.
A few months before this, another clandestine drug laboratory with equipment, chemicals and final products to the value of more than R50m was recovered in Standerton, less than 100km from Volksrust.
In 2024, three Mexicans were arrested after a R2bn drug operation was discovered in Grobersdal, Limpopo.
TimesLIVE
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