PRETORIA – South African police have raided a suspected drug laboratory at a smallholding in Erasmia, Pretoria, which was producing approximately 800,000 Mandrax tablets per day.

The operation was conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) together with the Hawks, after monitoring by Crime Intelligence.

Deputy National Commissioner for Policing Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said in a statement that the bust formed part of a wider effort to dismantle the infrastructure behind the country’s illicit drug trade.

‘You cannot hide from the reach of the law’

Mosikili said that SAPS has noted that some smallholdings and farms are being used as
hideouts for illicit activities, including the manufacturing of drugs. He warned that these properties are not beyond the reach of the law.

“You may move your operation. You may change your location. You may hide behind the walls of a smallholding or a farm. But you cannot hide from the reach of the law,” Mosikili said.

He said the operation demonstrated the value of using intelligence to identify and disrupt criminal activity before it could expand. “This is what intelligence-led policing looks like. It is about being proactive rather than reactive,” Mosikili said.

A wider national crackdown

The Erasmia bust is one of several drug-related interventions highlighted by SAPS as evidence of an intensified national crackdown.

“This operation is part of a much broader national effort by the South African Police
Service, together with the Hawks, Customs and other law enforcement agencies, to
intensify the fight against illicit drugs,” Mosikili said.

In the past week, police have arrested 3 203 suspects for possession of drugs and 273 suspects for dealing in drugs.

Over a four-week period, 9 033 people were arrested for dealing in drugs, while 1 102 were arrested for possession. SAPS also reported that drugs worth more than R200 million had been seized at OR Tambo International Airport during the previous two weeks.

Other recent operations included the discovery of a drug laboratory worth millions in Brits, North West, and police dismantling a drug laboratory In Limpopo with an estimated value of approximately R600 million.

The series of operations reflects a strategy aimed at disrupting the full supply chain, rather than focusing only on people found in possession of drugs on the streets. Mosikili said SAPS was targeting production sites, transport routes, distribution networks and the money behind the trade.

“We are going after the source. We are going after the manufacturing facilities. We are going after the transportation routes. We are going after the distribution networks. And we are going after those who finance and profit from this illegal trade,” he said.

The deputy national commissioner warned those involved in the manufacture, movement or sale of illicit drugs that the police response would extend beyond visible street-level activity.

“If you manufacture drugs, we will come for your laboratory. If you transport drugs, we will intercept your consignments. If you distribute drugs, we will arrest you,” Mosikili said.

SAPS said the use of intelligence-led policing would remain central to its response, with information gathered by Crime Intelligence supporting operations by specialised units and local police. The warning to operators using farms and smallholdings was unequivocal: such properties are not beyond the reach of the law. The operation was presented as a direct challenge to the belief that remote locations can shield illicit drug manufacturing from detection.

Key figures at a glance

• 800 000: Approximate number of Mandrax tablets the suspected Erasmia laboratory allegedly produced per day.
• 3 203: Suspects arrested for possession of drugs in the past week.
• 273: Suspects arrested for dealing in drugs in the past week.
• 9 033: People arrested for dealing in drugs over a four-week period.
• 1,102: People arrested for possession of drugs over a four-week period.
• More than R200 million: Value of drugs seized at OR Tambo International Airport in the past two weeks.
• Approximately R600 million: Estimated value of a drug laboratory dismantled in Limpopo.

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