South African police say they have shut down an industrial-scale crystal methamphetamine laboratory on a farm near Volksrust, seizing drugs valued at about $20 million (£15 million) and arresting six suspects, including the farm’s caretaker.
Police said five foreign nationals “from a North American country” were detained during Friday’s raid, while two others “believed to be from West African countries” fled. Photos released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) showed large-capacity distillation units, piping, weighing scales and lunch boxes packed with the finished drug.
Officers also recovered a pellet gun loaded with blanks. The caretaker, who was arrested on site, was found with three live rounds, police added.
The bust comes as South Africa remains one of the continent’s largest markets for crystal meth, according to the 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report. The UN has previously noted the country’s geography and “porous borders” make it a key transit point for illicit drugs. In a similar case last year, a clandestine lab on a remote farm elsewhere in the country led to the arrest of two Mexicans and two South Africans.