Johannesburg - What was once a place of worship was turned into a drug manufacturing laboratory.
The building of the Old Grace Church on the Hallgate smallholdings in Nigel, Ekurhuleni, nearly burnt down when R3 million worth of chemicals used to manufacture Mandrax caught fire.
Three people were arrested.
The bust, which is said to be the biggest in the small town, led to the arrest of a South African man and two Malawian men on Tuesday evening.
They were detained at Nigel police station.
It is believed the men were not living permanently on the smallholding because new beds still wrapped in plastic and standing against a wall were found in the outside rooms.
The building’s owner, who does not live on the property, was nowhere to be found when police arrived at the scene.
Gauteng provincial spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Katlego Mogale said the police were investigating whether more people could be linked to the bust.
“The Nigel police members received an arson complaint at 5.40pm. On their arrival, they found neighbours were trying to put out the fire.
“On further investigation, they found drums, bags and buckets full of chemicals and acids in and outside the premises,” she said.
On Wednesday morning, the three men were brought back to the scene as police continued their investigations.
The three spent the day inside a police van, handcuffed.
When the forensic team arrived, one of the man was led to the main church hall. The man had what appeared to be burns on his fingers and above his eyes.
More than 30 drums of liquid and bags of dry products were found. Pots, gas burners, acid and semi-processed products were among some of the other things police discovered.
The trio’s arrest, which came shortly after the chemicals burnt and caused a fire inside the hall, aroused the curiosity of neighbours, who called the police and emergency personnel.
They neighbours had forced their way into the yard to put out the fire.
Brakpan cluster commander Brigadier Jeshop Shabangu said firefighters had also responded, and when they saw the chemicals, they waited for the police.
It is believed the men were trapped inside the building.
Shabangu said he suspected the men worked for a criminal kingpin.
“It looks like they are working for someone. Of course, once those drugs are manufactured, the products hit the market. The people make money out of it.”
The suspects are due to appear in the Nigel Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of dealing in and possession of drugs.
In other incidents this week, police arrested an alleged drug mule at OR Tambo International airport on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old woman was nabbed after drugs, estimated to have a street value of more than R1m, were found in a false compartment in her luggage.
“She travelled from Sao Paulo in Brazil to OR Tambo International Airport en route to Maputo using a Peruvian-issued passport,” said police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo, adding that she appeared in court on Wednesday and her case was postponed to September 18.
“The woman has been denied bail because she doesn’t have a physical address in the country,” he said.
Mpumalanga police discovered thousands of Mandrax tablets with a street value of more than R3m in a truck on Tuesday. Two people were arrested.
They were travelling from Mozambique to Joburg.
On Saturday, a 31-year-old woman was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after she was found in possession of more than 4kg of cocaine in her luggage. The estimated street value is R2.1m.
The Star