JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is increasingly becoming an attractive base for international drug syndicates, according to security expert Willem Els of the Institute for Security Studies.
Els says Mexican drug cartels are allegedly sending experienced drug cooks to South Africa to operate industrial-scale laboratories, while working with established local criminal networks to manufacture and distribute drugs.
On Monday, a 45-year-old man was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after police allegedly found cocaine worth more than R800,000 in his luggage.
READ: Two Mexicans arrested in SA as police bust major drug lab
The arrest comes amid growing concerns over the emergence of large-scale drug laboratories in South Africa.
Three suspected crystal meth laboratories have been uncovered in less than four months.
In May, police raided a remote farm northwest of Johannesburg, uncovering what they described as a multi-million-dollar methamphetamine laboratory.
READ | R800,000 cocaine haul lands man in custody at OR Tambo
Eleven suspects were arrested, including four Mexican nationals who police suspected of having links to Latin American drug cartels.
Then, in August, another crystal meth laboratory was uncovered near the Zimbabwean border, with several foreign nationals, including two Mexicans, arrested.
Earlier this month, a laboratory was uncovered during a raid on a farm about 200 kilometres north of Johannesburg.
“That is very concerning that we see that these international cartels are having a presence more and more in South Africa.”
According to Els, there is no clear indication that Mexican cartels have simply transplanted their entire operations to South Africa. Instead, they are allegedly forming links with criminal networks that already operate in the country.
These local connections can provide access to established markets, trafficking routes and distribution networks, making it easier for international syndicates to manufacture drugs locally and move them across borders.
“It is concerning. If you look at the quantities that have been discovered, it means that our market must be very big or we’ve got a very lucrative export market.”
Why South Africa?
According to Els, several factors make the country attractive to international drug networks.
First, South Africa has an established consumer market for illicit drugs, providing a ready destination for products manufactured locally.
Second, the country already has infrastructure and trafficking routes that criminal networks can exploit.
READ | Three meth labs in four months: Are remote farms becoming drug factories?
“Thirdly, our weak law enforcement that has been exposed now at Madlanga.”
He argues that these factors have combined to create what he describes as “almost like a perfect storm” for international cartels.