Picture: Some of suspects arrested/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
15 May 2026 – The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has commended the police for swift response in shutting down the multi-million rands drug manufacturing operation in Swartruggens. Morweng said the community inadvertently reported the drug manufacturing operation to the police as a result of a pungent smell coming from a farm operating as a game farm.
He further said this led the police to seize crystal meth estimated at street value of around R250 million and some gold bearing material. Morweng added that eleven suspects, ten men and one woman were subsequently arrested.
“They are categorized as three South Africans, two Mozambicans, one Zimbabweans and 5 Spanish speaking suspects whose nationality is still to be determined though police suspect them to be Mexicans.
“We laud men and women in blue especially in light of the recent successes on clamping criminality in the province. We seek to outroot drug manufacturing plants and this success suggests we are going somewhere in making it difficult for criminals,” he said.
Morweng said with these arrests, they have definitely disturbed and interrupted their value chain. He said the success comes as a result of community intelligence and the swift response of the police after being alerted about this illicit operation.
“As a public representative, we are delighted and from the department point of view, we will continue to strengthen and improve the working relationship between the police and communities of the North West.
“We implore communities to continue reporting any suspicious activities to the police. We continue to encourage everyone to be the ears and eyes of the police in all our streets so that we can create a safe and secure environment for all citizens,” said Morweng.
The suspects are expected to appear before Swartruggens Magistrate’s Court today.
Convenor of the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) Provincial Committee, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele said the recent drug bust has exposed another massive operation that relied on obscurity, while it supplied drugs that are destroying the future and lives of mostly youth to a wider network.
“While are encouraged that there still exists capacity within the SAPS to mount such a thorough investigation by dedicated police officers, we can only celebrate the successful arrests when all the mastermind/s behind the drug cartel that must have been supported by sophisticated logistics to move the drugs around are completely dismantled.
“The intelligence-driven operation that resulted in the successful dismantling of the drug lab and the arrest of the suspects was executed by the National Head Office Crime Intelligence, National Head Office Organised Crime Investigations and a National team from the DPCI,” he said.
Meanwhile, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) spokesperson in Bojanala Region, Kgositsile Mahlaba said: “We would like to applaud the police for the excellent work done in tracking down and busting a huge multi-national criminal drug network in Swartruggens. As the ANCYL, we have consistently raised the alarm nationally on the drug pandemic destroying our communities.
“We have called on the ANC-led government to invest more
resources into policing and ensure swift, decisive action against those who think our country is a playground for criminals.”
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