Police raid Randfontein drug lab

A drug lab operating on a smallholding in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, was bust on Wednesday, said Gauteng police.

Four people, including the owner of the smallholding, were arrested, said Colonel Brenda Muridili.

She said the crackdown took planning.

"The multi-disciplinary team observed the smallholding for a period of time until they were satisfied that they had enough evidence to apply for a search warrant.

"The search warrant was effected in the early hours of this morning and the team discovered a steel shed full of chemicals and machines used to manufacture mandrax as well as a truck containing liquid chemical," said Muridili.

Forensic authorities were called in to collect evidence on the scene.

Muridili said the value of the drugs would be determined by forensics once they had concluded their analysis. .