State Seizes R27,800 Rietfontein Property Following R100M Drug Lab Bust in 2024
Pretoria – Authorities have successfully secured a preservation order transferring ownership of the Rietfontein property to the state, where police uncovered an illegal drug manufacturing facility valued at approximately R100 million and arrested a Mexican national.
On Sunday, 19 July 2026, Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, lauded the preservation order decision.
She commended the interdisciplinary team responsible for obtaining the property order through the court, resulting in the forfeiture of the Rietfontein property and cash totaling R27,800 to the State.
On 19 June 2026, the Pretoria High Court, Gauteng Division, sanctioned the preservation order under Section 50 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), Act 121 of 1998.
This order followed a takedown operation that took place on 27 November 2024, where police discovered a covert drug lab estimated to be worth around R100 million in Rietfontein, Gauteng, leading to the arrest of a Mexican national at the scene.
After conducting comprehensive surveillance of the site, a multidisciplinary team, including members from the National and Gauteng Provincial Organised Crime Investigation: Narcotics Units, Crime Intelligence, the West Rand Tactical Response Team (TRT), and the West Rand K9 Unit, executed a search and seizure warrant.
Police seized a range of chemicals, drug manufacturing equipment, and finished products confirmed to be methamphetamine, commonly referred to as crystal meth.
The preservation order allows the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) to sell the Rietfontein property.
The proceeds from the sale, along with the confiscated cash, will be placed into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA).
“This preservation order demonstrates that crime does not pay,” remarked Lieutenant General Dimpane.
“Through the combined efforts of SAPS investigators and the National Prosecuting Authority, we are ensuring that individuals involved in the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs not only lose their freedom but also the assets and profits acquired through criminal activities.”
Lieutenant General Dimpane affirmed that SAPS remains devoted to dismantling organized crime syndicates and safeguarding communities from the harmful impacts of drug abuse.
