Hawks shut down med-lemon lab in Rondebosch, arrest one suspect
A 42-year-old man faces a charge under the Medicines Control Act after an intelligence-driven operation uncovered manufacturing equipment and sachets in the Cape Town suburb.
A 42-year-old man has been arrested and charged under the Medicines Control Act after the Hawks dismantled a clandestine laboratory in Rondebosch, the South African Police Service said in a media statement.
The operation took place on 16 October 2026 and was carried out by the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) team together with the SAPS Flying Squad. The police service described it as intelligence-driven.
Inside the laboratory, officers found the machine that is allegedly used to manufacture med-lemon, along with boxes containing med-lemon sachets. The police statement does not put a value on the med-lemon recovered, saying only that the value is unknown.
The Hawks have launched an investigation into the matter.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates Court on Monday, 19 October 2026.
The statement was issued through Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. The full statement is available at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=71905.
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