Five suspects are in custody following a massive drug bust in Oaktree on October 8, where police dismantled an active Mandrax laboratory valued at no less than R100m.

Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni confirmed police also seized a licensed firearm during the operation.

Mthombeni said a multidisciplinary team comprising numerous police units caught the suspects in the act on a farm.

• Read the initial article here: Multi-million-rand drug lab uncovered at Krugersdorp plot

“Farms are used because it is an excluded area, as it is not very visible,” he said.

The suspects face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, while investigators work to determine who is behind the illegal facility. Police have also identified the property owner, who will be charged accordingly.

Mthombeni noted that drug trafficking has a global impact, adding that when illicit substances hit the streets, user consumption often leads to violence.