How Mexican cartels turned South African farms into meth production hubs

An Al Jazeera investigation conducted over months found that Mexican cartels have converted the remote interior of large coastal farms and disused agricultural buildings — through capacity rental or outright purchase — into synthetic-drug production lines. The sites run on local labour and feed an export channel aimed at the global market.

South African police, in coordinated operations in recent weeks, raided six sites and seized significant quantities of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals. A number of transnational suspects were detained as part of the operations, and international cooperation requests have been routed through Interpol channels.

South Africa's Interior and Justice Ministries announced they would tighten border controls and customs inspections of precursor chemicals. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called for regional support, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has offered additional capacity-sharing.