10/09/2026
🚨 TWO ARRESTED AS R100 MILLION MANDRAX LABORATORY UNCOVERED IN ERASMIA
Two foreign nationals, both in their late 30s, have been arrested in Erasmia, west of Pretoria, for allegedly manufacturing illicit drugs.
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, during a joint operation involving members of the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), Crime Intelligence, K9 West Rand and the Special Task Force Pretoria.
The multidisciplinary team had received information about an alleged drug manufacturing laboratory operating on a smallholding in Erasmia.
Following up on the information, law enforcement officers searched the premises and allegedly uncovered a drug laboratory where Mandrax tablets with an estimated street value of R100 million were being manufactured.
Police also discovered what they described as a new drug laboratory, where the suspects were allegedly preparing to manufacture crystal methamphetamine.
The operation forms part of broader efforts by the South African Police Service (SAPS), Hawks, Customs and other law enforcement agencies to clamp down on the manufacture and distribution of illicit drugs.
The two suspects are expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 11 September 2026.