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The five Musina farm suspects will appear in court on Monday to face charges relating to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs.<\/p>\n
“The discovery has exposed an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution,” the police said in a statement.<\/p>\n
South Africa is as one of the largest crystal meth consumer markets in the world, according to the 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report.<\/p>\n
The UN says its geography and “porous borders” also make it an ideal transit point for illicit drug.<\/p>\n
South Africa is not the only African country where illicit laboratories have been found. <\/p>\n
In May this year, Nigeria’s drug enforcement agency said it had “dealt another crippling blow” and dismantled “a highly sophisticated, multi-million-dollar Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate”.<\/p>\n
The lab at the centre of an ongoing court case was discovered in a dense forested area of the West African nation.<\/p>\n
Counter-narcotics officials at the US-Africa Command (Africom) recently told the BBC that since 2023 14 Mexican-operated laboratories had been raided on the continent – found in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.<\/p>\n
Experts believe this indicates criminal cartels in Mexico are increasing using Africa, not just as a trafficking hub, but also as a production base.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n