South African authorities have successfully dismantled a sophisticated crystal methamphetamine laboratory located on a remote farm near Volksrust, Mpumalanga. The operation, conducted last Friday as part of Operation Shanela 2, resulted in the arrest of five individuals and the significant seizure of methamphetamine valued at approximately R350 million. The drugs were found meticulously packed into lunch boxes and buckets on the farm, identified as Dambas farm.

Among those apprehended were four Mexican nationals and a South African caretaker. Police have also launched a 72-hour operation to track down two additional suspects, a Nigerian and a Malawian, who managed to escape on foot during the raid. On Sunday, Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Jackie Macie, joined the Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, for a walk-through of the dismantled facility. Macie emphasized the critical role of community-police partnerships, stating, “This breakthrough was made possible by a vigilant community member who raised the alarm.” The bust directly followed concerns about suspicious activities raised by residents at the Premier’s Imbizo in Volksrust on August 29.

Police are actively investigating potential links between this recently discovered lab and Latin American drug cartels, a spokesperson for the elite Hawks unit told AFP. This incident marks the latest in a series of similar busts across South Africa, indicating a growing global trend of Mexican labs spreading to supply international markets. Previous notable operations include the July 2024 raid near Groblersdal, about 200km from Johannesburg, where three Mexicans were arrested and an estimated R2 billion worth of methamphetamine was seized. Another Mexican national was arrested in November at a crystal meth lab on a farm in Rietfontein, north of Johannesburg.

According to a July 2025 report by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, South Africa is a significant consumer of methamphetamine, with the market for the illicit drug expanding into neighboring countries and across the wider region. The report also highlights a decade-long proliferation of “Mexican meth” labs around the globe, aligning with the ongoing investigations into the international connections of the Volksrust operation.