Spokesperson for the Hawks, Robert Netshiunda, said the Hawks had been monitoring the area for a few months on suspicions a syndicate was involved in the alleged druglab.
The Hawks believe the syndicate operates between Dobsonville, Pretoria and Johannesburg. They alleged that the product was transported to Cape Town for sale.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on the property, while another suspect fled the scene. The man was charged with manufacturing and distributing illegal substances and is due to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on 21 September. A firearm was also recovered on the scene.
Watch a video of the inside of the drug lab in Sandhurst:
The Hawks found the methaqualone in both the house and cottage on the property. In the courtyard, stained pillow cases were found. These were allegedly used to filter the liquid methaqualone to form a powder which could later be pressed into pills.
In the cottage, there was a soundproofed room where a grinder and press were found which, it is believed, were used to compress the methaqualone powder into pills. Gas masks were also recovered.
A team of about 10 Hawks officers, as well as police forensics, were investigating the scene.
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