SAPS, in follow up investigations on Tuesday afternoon following the arrest of a Durban club owner and his partners, uncovered a micro warehouse being used for what appears to be a clandestine drug laboratory with multiple machines, drums of precursor chemicals and an undisclosed amount of cash.
The team further established that the warehouse was being leased by one of the five accused arrested last week. Further investigations are underway primarily to determine to what extent the accused may be linked with this warehouse.
Lt Gen Solomon Makgale said: “The precursor chemicals found in the warehouse are similar to the ones found in the Westville house. These chemicals can also be used for manufacture of ecstasy tablets.”
The five men are still in police custody and are expected to make their second appearance in the Middleburg and Pinetown regional courts on Thursday and Friday.
The National Crime Intelligence Unit, the National Investigation Unit (NINU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) arrested the club owner and a Bulgarian national, at the Middleburg Toll Plaza on the N4 on 5 November. They were found in possession of ecstasy tablets with a street value of up to R85 million, which were being transported in a light delivery vehicle destined for Durban.
Following these arrests, a second team from the SAPS swooped down on a house in Konigkramer Street in Westville. The team recovered precursor chemicals which are commonly used in the manufacturing of drugs, particularly cocaine. They also recovered a bulk of powdered chemicals which are suspected to have been used in manufacturing illicit narcotics. They arrested the owner of the house, Gareth John Brissett and two of his employees, Sakhile Dlamini and John Mapumulu.
