Mexican Cartels Push Meth Into Australia via Africa

Mexican nationals who claimed they travelled to South Africa as tourists to see wildlife have been linked by investigators to a suspected international methamphetamine production network allegedly connected to the Sinaloa cartel.

The men told immigration officers in Johannesburg they wanted to visit South Africa’s famous “Big Five” — elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffaloes. But police believe they were chemists recruited to establish an industrial-scale crystal meth laboratory on a game farm near Swartruggens, northwest of Johannesburg.

Investigators say the facility was capable of producing up to five tonnes of methamphetamine every month before it was dismantled in May. The drugs could have been worth about $1 billion wholesale in Australia, one of the world’s most lucrative meth markets.

South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau chief Brigadier Devon Naicker told AFP that authorities were investigating whether meth seized in Australia had originated from the Swartruggens operation.

“In one specific case in Australia, we’re looking at whether the methamphetamine came from the Swartruggens laboratory because it went through the port of Durban, and the way it was packaged,” Naicker said.

Police say South Africa has become attractive for international drug networks because of its large rural areas, transport links and access to chemicals used in drug production.

Since 2024, at least 16 Mexicans have been arrested during raids on suspected meth labs in South Africa, according to investigators. Authorities say the operations show signs of cartel involvement, including specialised equipment and production methods.

Naicker said senior Mexican operatives often establish laboratories before leaving trained chemists behind to continue production.

“They set the labs up and leave Mexicans behind to run the thing — chemist-trained individuals who understand the chemistry,” he said.

Similar activity has been detected in Nigeria, where authorities say suspected cartel-linked meth laboratories have been uncovered. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said industrial-scale facilities found in Ogun and Oyo states appeared designed to supply international markets.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the discoveries showed the labs were targeting markets beyond Africa, including Europe, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Experts warn that the expansion of synthetic drug production across Africa could increase local consumption. Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution said Africa provides criminal groups with opportunities because of remote locations and corruption risks.

Antonio De Vivo of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said some intermediaries are paid partly with drugs, which can push narcotics into local communities.

In Mozambique, rehabilitation worker Paulo Ferrao says more people are now seeking treatment for meth addiction.

“We’re receiving more methamphetamine cases,” he said, adding that the rise showed how synthetic drugs were changing the region’s drug landscape.