The five Musina farm suspects will appear in court on Monday to face charges relating to the manufacture and possession of illicit drugs.

“The discovery has exposed an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution,” the police said in a statement.

South Africa is as one of the largest crystal meth consumer markets in the world, according to the 2022 Global State of Harm Reduction report.

The UN says its geography and “porous borders” also make it an ideal transit point for illicit drug.

South Africa is not the only African country where illicit laboratories have been found.

In May this year, Nigeria’s drug enforcement agency said it had “dealt another crippling blow” and dismantled “a highly sophisticated, multi-million-dollar Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine production syndicate”.

The lab at the centre of an ongoing court case was discovered in a dense forested area of the West African nation.

Counter-narcotics officials at the US-Africa Command (Africom) recently told the BBC that since 2023 14 Mexican-operated laboratories had been raided on the continent – found in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.

Experts believe this indicates criminal cartels in Mexico are increasing using Africa, not just as a trafficking hub, but also as a production base.