Police and the chemical industry are working together to curb the use of chemicals in the illicit manufacture of drugs, a conference in Durban heard on Monday.
Addressing the International Chemical Monitoring Conference in Durban, Commissioner Seswantsho Lebeya said the monitoring of the movement of chemicals in the country was critical amid an increasing demand for synthetic drugs.
In addition to the manufacture of the methamphetamines and other drugs, the laboratories were themselves "mini toxic waste sites" as criminals simply dumped the waste products without consideration for the environment, said Lebeya.
National narcotics head Senior Superintendent Deven Naicker told the conference the United Nations estimated the global retail market for illicit drugs at $320-billion.
He said South Africa followed a similar global trend and it was estimated that at least five percent of the population had used illicit drugs in the past 12 months.
Of the three drug categories, synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine were showing the greatest increase among users.
In Cape Town 60 percent of drug users reported Tik as their drug of choice and its distribution was being controlled by gangs.
Naicker warned officials attending the conference that use of the drug was spreading rapidly to other parts of the country.
"It's spreading. I advise you as law enforcement officials: tackle that problem whilst it is still existing in manageable proportions, otherwise its going to sweep the carpet from under your feet like it did in the Western Cape."
Globally methamphetamine is the drug of choice worldwide among 34-million people, which exceeds the estimated 11-million heroin users and 14-million cocaine users.
Naicker said the government's policy of limiting the legal supply of ephedrine, the base drug needed for the manufacture of methamphetamine, had resulted in chemical companies becoming targets of criminals.
He cited an incident where ephedrine was stolen from OR Tambo airport, and in another case in Johannesburg where the staff of a chemical company had been held up by criminals who stole ephedrine.
Naicker said intelligence from the chemical industry had been a major contributor to police seizing methamphetamine laboratories.
In 2003 police seized 65 methamphetamine labs and in 2007 there were 30 labs seized and by mid 2008 nine methamphetamine labs had been seized by police.
While the manufacture of methamphetamines was a major problem, the trafficking of drugs such as cocaine and heroin was still problematic with South Africa being a major transshipment point.
Lebeya said that in 2007, 109 000 people were arrested for drug trafficking and there were at least 800 South African's languishing in the prisons of other countries for acting as drug mules.
Naicker highlighted the two flights between Sao Paulo in Brazil and South Africa as a major risk with drug mules bringing cocaine into the country.
"Almost every day on this flight, if a courier is not arrested in Sao Paulo, then he is arrested in OR Tambo," said Naicker.
Lesotho and Swaziland were becoming countries being used as transhipment points into South Africa, said Naciker. - Sapa