Police seize drug-making machine, guns and four suspects at Scheerpoort farm
One man and three women were arrested after officers found what SABC News describes as an illegal manufacturing operation inside a building on a farm near Hartbeespoort.
Four people have been arrested after police found an illegal drug manufacturing plant inside a building on a farm in Scheerpoort, near Hartbeespoort in the North West.
The suspects, one man and three women, were taken into custody after officers entered the premises and found a machine that SABC News reports was used to manufacture the drugs, along with firearms and the drugs themselves.
Preliminary investigations suggest the street value of the drugs found on the premises was between R500 million and R7.5 million, according to SABC News. The figure is an early estimate and has not been finalised.
SABC News reports from the scene that the machine was found in a small room on the property and formed part of the operation. The garage door and another door were broken open by police as they entered the building and removed the machine, which was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken into police custody as evidence.
It is not yet clear whether the owner of the farm knew about the operation. SABC News says that question remains unanswered.
The machine, the firearms and the drugs seized at the scene are expected to form part of the state’s case when the suspects appear in the magistrate’s court, apply for bail and face trial.
No court date has been given. The investigation continues.
Source: SABC News (YouTube), Four arrested in Scheerpoort drug lab bust
