Five people have been arrested in Zuurbekom, Westonaria outside Johannesburg, when a drug laboratory was raided and Mandrax with a street value of R25 million was seized, the Hawks said on Wednesday.
"The Hawks seized chemicals, equipment, a delivery van which had panels to conceal the drugs, a large quantity of packed Mandrax tablets, as well as Mandrax powder yet to be pressed for shipment," Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.
The plot was raided on Tuesday.
A joint operation team from the Vaal and Western Cape had gathered information about the Mandrax manufacturing lab on a plot in Zuurbekom, he said.
The operation began two weeks ago when Hawks members received information of a laboratory manufacturing and transporting Mandrax tablets to clients in the Western Cape.
The five, aged between 27 and 78, were expected to appear in the Westonaria Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
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