Durban -
A run-down property, in an affluent part of Gillitts, west of Durban, has been raising eyebrows for some time, but neighbours had no idea that its high walls and tinted windows were hiding a massive “drug laboratory” .
Heroin straws, Mandrax tablets and heroin powder, with an estimated street value of R41 million, were discovered there on Saturday night, police spokesman Lietenant-General Solomon Makgale said.
Machinery used to make drugs was also found.
Nineteen men, some of them from Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, were arrested, Makgale said on Sunday. They ranged in age from 18 to 37.
“We have no doubt that an operation of this magnitude is the work of a syndicate and we believe we are making great inroads in bringing these major drug syndicates to their knees.”
When The Mercury visited the property in Alexander Road, Winston Park, on Sunday, police were at the scene and would not let reporters inside.
But from the outside, the drug den appeared out of place in the tree-lined street, where groups of well-dressed teens were roaming freely and children were playing on manicured lawns that stretched out in front of impressive homes.
Once grand, the house appeared to have suffered a period of neglect.
The boundary wall had large cracks and its pale pink paint was peeling. The garden was unkempt and desolate and a tennis court, which took up a large portion of the front lawn, was overgrown with weeds.
Most of the windows were covered in a dark, reflective film to prevent prying eyes. Others were boarded up with cardboard.
It is understood the house owner lives in Port Elizabeth.
It is alleged that a South African man, who claims to be a nightclub owner, has been renting the property for about two-and-a-half years.
Rent is apparently paid in cash, up to three months in advance.
Most of the neighbours did not know the people who lived on the property.
“You never see anyone going in or coming out,” one said.
A rumour had been circulating that some form of illegal activity was going on there.
Another neighbour had heard people “screaming and shouting” outside the property a few weeks ago.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said the road had been a hive of activity on Saturday night.
“There were police cars driving in and out,” she said. “It started at about 9pm and went on all through the night.”
The property was slightly suspicious, but the woman was shocked to learn drugs were being produced there.
“It’s so scary,” she said.
She described the house as “very sparse”.
“And it was very run-down.”
It had several garages but, on most days, a “large truck” was the only vehicle that was parked there and it was quiet.
The men arrested are expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The Mercury