Mexican cartels, specifically the Sinaloa crime cartel, have been discovered to be operating in southern Africa, producing large quantities of methamphetamine for the lucrative Australian and New Zealand markets. According to investigators, the cartels have established a network of laboratories across the region, with at least seven discovered in the last two years. These labs are capable of producing massive amounts of the highly addictive drug, with one lab in Swartruggens, South Africa, able to produce five tonnes of methamphetamine per month.
The Swartruggens lab, which was busted in May, is believed to have been set up by chemists sent by the Sinaloa cartel, who had arrived in South Africa on three-month tourist visas. The lab was discovered on a game farm, where the cartel had been producing crystal meth using the P2P method, based on phenyl-2-propanone. The chemicals used to make the precursors were imported from China and India, which are crucial for the production of methamphetamine.
South Africa has been identified as the "perfect place" to produce methamphetamine due to its vast expanses, global sea and air connections, and corruption. The country has significant trade with China and India, making it easier to source the restricted chemicals needed for meth production. The Australian police have confirmed that they have identified increased targeting of Australia's illicit drug market by Mexican cartels.
The methamphetamine produced in southern Africa is being smuggled into Australia, with one seizure in January revealing 39 kilograms of powdered meth in a woman's bags at Sydney airport. The Australian market is huge, with methamphetamine being the most consumed illicit drug after cannabis, according to a 2024 report compiled with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Police in both Australia and New Zealand have previously established that local chapters of the Comancheros biker gangs were sourcing drugs from the Sinaloa cartel.
Investigators are working to uncover the supply chain woven by the Sinaloa cartel across southern Africa to feed Australian demand for methamphetamine. In South Africa, 16 Mexicans have been arrested in swoops on labs since 2024, while in Nigeria, four Mexicans have been arrested in busts of meth labs this year. The modus operandi of the cartels involves approaching farmers who are struggling, and using isolated farms within easy reach of major roads to set up labs.
The Swartruggens lab was raided in May, resulting in the arrest of 13 people, including five Mexicans, two Mozambicans, and a Zimbabwean, as well as four South Africans. The Afrikaner family, who owned the game farm, were among those arrested, with the parents having previously been before the courts for renting out land where the hypnotic sedative mandrax was being illegally made.
The investigation into the methamphetamine trade is ongoing, with Brigadier Devon Naicker, head of the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), stating that they are looking at whether the methamphetamine seized in Australia came from the Swartruggens laboratory. The police are also working to disrupt the supply chain, with a recent seizure of five tonnes of solvents, catalysts, and reagents used by the cartels in a raid on a lab at Musina on the border with Zimbabwe.
Key points
- The Sinaloa cartel is using South Africa to produce industrial-scale methamphetamine for the Australian and New Zealand markets.
- The cartels are approaching farmers who are struggling to set up labs, often on isolated farms within easy reach of major roads.
- The investigation into the methamphetamine trade is ongoing, with police working to disrupt the supply chain and uncover the extent of the cartel's operations.
