Five Mexican nationals arrested in connection with a R350 million drug bust in Mpumalanga have been found to be in South Africa illegally, authorities revealed, highlighting concerns over the enforcement of immigration laws. Investigations show the suspects entered the country in January and remained after their legal stay had expired.
Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaisons Jackie Macie called for tighter immigration controls following the arrests.
“The laws allowing people to enter in the country should be tightened because we cannot have people coming all the way from Mexico to do crime here,” Macie told Sowetan on Sunday, September 21, in Volksrust, where the bust occurred.
The operation also involved a Nigerian man and a Malawian national, who reportedly fled the scene and remain at large. Authorities discovered that the suspects had allegedly converted a former traditional beer factory into a crystal methamphetamine production facility.
“We have seen that the five Mexicans came into the country in January and started building this factory, which is so big. We found out that the accused’s status of being in the country was illegal. Apart from being charged with drug manufacturing, they will also face contravention of the immigration laws,” Macie added.
The bust followed a tip-off after a local reported a foul odour emanating from the farm. A multidisciplinary police team investigated, leading to the arrests of the five Mexican nationals and a South African caretaker. Preliminary findings indicated that the farm’s original owner had died years earlier, with the property handed over to the caretaker, who allegedly allowed the suspects to operate the drug lab.
“This is the biggest bust which is estimated at a street value of R350m,” Macie said. “If you check here, this is a farm which was not operational and that’s the same thing at Standerton, where in April we found a lab with drugs worth R20m. This shows abandoned farms might have been used for illegal things, that’s why we aim to have local municipalities working with the police to audit all farms and check what they are dealing with.”
Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi, Provincial Commissioner of Police in Mpumalanga, said additional officers have been deployed to tackle drug manufacturing in the province.
“We would like to first thank the collaboration between the police and the community on this arrest. We are also pleading with the public to help us arrest the two suspects, one from Nigeria and one from Malawi, who escaped when we came to the premises on Friday, September 19. We are also warning those suspects who are on the run that we shall find them and they should report to the nearest police station before we find them,” Mkhwanazi stated.
Residents of Daggakraal, near the farm, said unusual activity at the abandoned site had raised suspicions.
“Seeing people and trucks coming in and out not knowing what they are doing made us suspicious and there was a bad smell coming out of the place. Again, there were a few community members with suspicious characters who were talking to these Mexican people and we knew there was something wrong happening there,” said one local who requested anonymity.
During the raid, authorities discovered large quantities of precursor chemicals, drug-manufacturing equipment, crystal methamphetamine packaged in lunch boxes and buckets stored in freezers, a pellet gun with blank rounds, and three live 9mm rounds in the caretaker’s possession. The scene was processed by forensic teams, and the case was handed over to the Hawks.
Hawks spokesperson Col Jerry Maphanga confirmed that the five foreign nationals are facing possible charges under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and the Immigration Act, while the South African caretaker faces charges for possession of ammunition.
Acting Provincial Commissioner Mkhwanazi described the bust as a testament to effective collaboration between law enforcement and the community.
“This massive success demonstrates that co-operation between police in Mpumalanga and other entities, both government and private, is bearing expected results. Police are working hard to rid the streets of Mpumalanga of all types of drugs, and dismantling a clandestine drug lab, which is the source of these drugs, is a step in the right direction. We applaud the community members who continue to work with police and provide valuable tip-offs. Intelligence-driven operations are ongoing, and we, as police, will stop at nothing in our quest to collapse the illicit drug trade,” Mkhwanazi said.
All six suspects are expected to appear in court in the coming days.
