--- title: "Mexican cartel concerns around SA ‘tik farms’ may connect to Ecuador’s cocaine gangs" description: "Police recently cracked down on another suspected crystal methamphetamine factory on a Limpopo farm and arrested individuals from countries including Mexico, adding to concerns about Mexican cartel activity in South Africa. The US, meanwhile, says those cartels have converged with counterparts in Ecuador." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "GLOBAL DRUG TRAFFICKING" author: "Caryn Dolley" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/caryn-dolley-for-amabhungane/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-24-mexican-cartel-concerns-around-sa-tik-farms-may-connect-to-ecuador-s-cocaine-gangs/" published: "2026-08-24T22:44:28" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1495 --- # Mexican cartel concerns around SA ‘tik farms’ may connect to Ecuador’s cocaine gangs > Police recently cracked down on another suspected crystal methamphetamine factory on a Limpopo farm and arrested individuals from countries including Mexico, adding to concerns about Mexican cartel activity in South Africa. The US, meanwhile, says those cartels have converged with counterparts in Ecuador. By Caryn Dolley · Published 25 August 2026, 00:44 SAST ## Key points - Police, including Hawks officers, recently raided an alleged R600m crystal methamphetamine “tik” factory on a Limpopo farm, arresting five suspects, including two from Mexico. - This adds to evidence suggesting Mexican cartels are active in South Africa, which the US has previously warned about. - On the same day as the farm bust, the US Treasury sanctioned an Ecuador‑based cocaine network tied to Mexican cartels – fishing vessels and “go‑fast” boats off Ecuador’s coast are accused of moving cocaine to Mexico for onward trafficking. - US authorities were apparently also involved in the Limpopo farm crackdown, which South African police headed. ## Content A crackdown on a suspected R600-million illicit drug facility in South Africa, along with sanctions that the United States (US) has imposed against an Ecuador-based cocaine trafficking network, emphasises the tight grip of Mexican cartels. In South Africa, five suspects were detained after an alleged crystal methamphetamine (tik) manufacturing facility, worth around R600-million, was uncovered at a Limpopo farm on Thursday, 20 August 2026. The bust is one of several involving illicit drug-making operations and the arrests of suspects from Mexico. [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6AcgqL77E) This adds to concerns about increasing Mexican cartel activity in South Africa. On the same day as the Limpopo crackdown, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control [announced sanctions](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0610) against an Ecuador-based cocaine trafficking network that was working with Mexican cartels – Sinaloa and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). Ecuador borders global cocaine-producing hub Colombia. ![mexico-ecaudor-sa](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/MDIpryqUWzb2zCWyzZ95nFBZF0c=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/c036e79e-5f6d-4d87-8389-6d140b2db5fe_822248.jpg) *Police uncovered a suspected R600-million crystal methamphetamine facility at a farm in Limpopo on 20 August 2026. Among the five suspects arrested were two from Mexico. (Photo: South African Police Service)* Organised crime links between South Africa and Ecuador have emerged before, and with the Mexican cartel suspicions now circling in this country, highlight a convergence of international criminality. ### **Limpopo swoop and US warning** Daily Maverick has [reported extensively](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-06-tesla-cocaine-and-secret-drug-labs-point-to-mexican-cartel-activity-in-sa/) on evidence suggesting that Mexican cartels are active in South Africa. A few months ago, US Africa Command General Dagvin Anderson warned about this and broader cartel activity in Africa. He said: “This convergence turns a fragile security landscape into a pressure cooker, demanding interagency focus and coordination to prevent a rupture.” [TRAFFICKING AND TERROR US general warns that Mexican cartel activity in Africa, including SA, boosts terrorism May 26, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/6e-gUS962gub73o_ka_2Jg4BQOQ=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/Caryn-mexican-cartelsV2_262822.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-26-us-general-warns-that-mexican-cartel-activity-in-africa-including-sa-boosts-terrorism/) It now appears that the US is working with local authorities to tackle this. A South African Police Service (SAPS) [statement said that](https://x.com/SAPoliceService/status/2090675101083570286) in the Limpopo facility crackdown last Thursday, the Hawks worked with officers from units including the narcotics bureau, Crime Intelligence and Special Task Force. It also said the US’s Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security were involved. ![mexico-ecaudor-sa](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/uRtu6C1UJCDnScaazuJj0la16L0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/3a1e6174-f356-493f-afd1-d9328ddd7884_299828.jpg) *Police uncovered a suspected R600m crystal methamphetamine facility at a farm in Limpopo on 20 August 2026. Among the five suspects arrested were two from Mexico. (Photo: South African Police Service)* The SAPS statement added: “The breakthrough follows a two-month intensive investigation into suspected drug manufacturing activities at the farm. “The discovery has exposed an alleged sophisticated, industrial-scale operation believed to have been established for the manufacture of dangerous illicit substances destined for distribution.” Five suspects were arrested. > VIDEO | The matter of five accused drug dealers who were arrested following the discovery of an alleged drug manufacturing facility estimated at R600 million in Musina, Limpopo, has been postponed to Friday at the Musina Magistrate's court. Their case was postponed for further… [pic.twitter.com/TUqUi5kgKl](https://t.co/TUqUi5kgKl) > > — SABC News (@SABCNews) [August 24, 2026](https://x.com/SABCNews/status/2091838704616644848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Two were from Mexico, another two from Zimbabwe and one from Malawi. Limpopo’s National Prosecuting Authority named them in a press statement as Verdogo Marioano Barrera and Leon Castilo Juan of Mexico, Nyamukanga Tichaona Roy, Mabayi Lee of Zimbabwe, and Nyamukanga Tanaka Royce, presumed to be from Malawi. “They are facing charges of manufacturing a scheduled substance, dealing in drugs, possession of drugs, money laundering and contravention of the Immigration Act,” the statement said. The group of suspects appeared in the magistrates’ court in Musina on Monday, 24 August, and is expected back in the dock on Friday. This case represents one of at least five illicit drug manufacturing facility crackdowns in South Africa over two years, in which suspects from Mexico have been arrested. > **Crackdown chronology:** > > These police crackdowns have collectively involved the arrests of local and international suspects from various countries, notably Mexico: > > - **July 2024** – A drug laboratory worth about R2-billion was uncovered at a Limpopo farm. Three men from Mexico, along with two local suspects, were detained. Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, who headed the Hawks at the time, said the Mexican suspects might be Sinaloa Cartel members. > - **November 2024** – A Mexican suspect was arrested after a drug-making facility, worth around R100-million, was discovered in Tshwane. > - **September 2025**– Five Mexican suspects, along with a South African, were arrested after a clandestine drug production facility was discovered outside Volksrust in Mpumalanga. It was suspected that crystal methamphetamine was produced there. > - **May 2026** – It was announced that a drug manufacturing facility, worth about R1-billion, was discovered in Swartruggens in North West. Those arrested were Fabian Astorga, Jesus Alonso, Medina Astorga, Luis Alberto Ramirez Rios, Jose Andres Medina and Jacquelin Lopez Madrid of Mexico; Ismael Afiado Massingue and Lourenco Constantino Cumbane of Mozambique; Tobias Soyani of Zimbabwe; and Tyron John Schutte, Kyle Schutte and Vusi Amos Mkambi of South Africa. > - **August 2026** – Five suspects were arrested after an alleged crystal methamphetamine factory was uncovered on a farm in Limpopo. Two of the suspects are from Mexico. These cases have all involved the alleged manufacturing of crystal methamphetamine. Mexican cartels, meanwhile, are also deeply involved in fentanyl distribution and cocaine trafficking. ### **Ecuador and ‘go-fast’ drug vessels** Last week, on the day of the Limpopo farm swoop, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against various individuals and entities linked to the Ecuador-based cocaine trafficking network which was operating with the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG. Ecuador has undergone gang violence believed to be linked to these cartels. Members of the cocaine network were affiliated locally with Ecuador’s most violent gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos. ![mexico-ecaudor-sa](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/fR5Xi4ZpQ9_wybFWikQi20K8Zvs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/imagecopy_468885.jpg) *How traffickers based in Ecuador are allegedly moving cocaine, using seagoing vessels. (Photo: US Department of the Treasury)* “Operating under the guise of legitimate fishing businesses, a fleet of Ecuador-based vessels near Manta, Ecuador, secretly transfers cocaine to small power boats – known as go-fast vessels – that transit north through the Eastern Pacific Ocean \[…\] en route to the United States,” [a US Treasury statement](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0610) on the sanctions said. “The cocaine is then smuggled through Mexico by \[foreign terrorist organisations\] like the Sinaloa Cartel and \[…\] CJNG.” A similar modus operandi, of ships offloading cocaine consignments at sea which traffickers on smaller boats retrieve to bring ashore, has been flagged in South Africa. [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8ptN95YFmU) An incident involving [suspected Western Cape gang boss Peter Jaggers](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-16-colombian-cocaine-kidnapping-how-two-bound-and-cuffed-cape-town-men-were-found-killed-in-free-state/), found murdered in the Free State in 2024, appeared to have ties to Colombian traffickers; however, police have never confirmed this. Cocaine has before ended up in South Africa by way of Ecuador. In 2019, a vessel from that country was intercepted at the Ngqura Port in the Eastern Cape. [Cocaine worth R85-million was discovered](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/r85m-drug-bust-pe-harbour) in a container carrying cartons of bananas. That container had been destined for Cape Town. ### **SA’s ‘Romeo G’** There have also been arrests in Ecuador that are linked to South Africa. Daily Maverick established that early last year, two South Africans, along with an Ecuadorian and a Colombian, were arrested in a case involving cannabis and weapons suspicions. A few months later, in July 2025, an interior ministry statement from Ecuador said that a property had been raided and a South African, identified in the press release as Romeo G, was arrested. ![mexico-ecaudor-sa](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Vk0SgoHJSBYaZudwCaaQaWb5aeY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ASouthAfricanresidentidentifiedbyauthoritiesinEcuadorasRomeoGwasarrestedthereinJuly2025ItemsandcomponentsassociatedwithweaponsmanufacturingwereseizedPictureEcuadorsInteriorMinistry_783741.jpg) *A South African identified by authorities in Ecuador as Romeo G was arrested in that country in July 2025. Items that included components associated with weapons manufacturing were seized. (Photo: Ecuador's Interior Ministry)* During the raid, among the items found were 27 containers holding roughly 305kg of an unverified substance. [Local media](https://www.primicias.ec/sucesos/sudafricano-drogas-elementos-armas-hacienda-vilcabamba-loja-100780/) in Ecuador reported that the substance was cannabis and that the raid happened in the Vilcabamba area. Components allegedly associated with weapons manufacturing were also seized. It was not immediately clear what happened with that case or how it fitted into Ecuador’s broader criminal landscape. ### **Zooming in** Over several months, local sources with knowledge of illicit drug patterns and investigations have told Daily Maverick that there is mounting concern, specifically when it comes to Mexican cartel activity in this country. Those cartels may use local gangs to distribute drugs, which could spark violence among rival gangsters vying to dominate the trade here. [GLOBAL ORGANISED CRIME Fatal fentanyl - Mexican cartels among the drug trafficking gangs and money launderers ‘active in South Africa’ November 16, 2024 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/TJo037aAF3kpXtRodjg8bOyHpUk=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/01-newest-cover-for-online.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-16-fatal-fentanyl-hits-sa-mexican-cartels-among-drug-trafficking-gangs-and-money-launderers-active-in-mzansi/) Mexican cartels can also connect South Africa to various other international groupings (such as those from Ecuador). Illicit drugs are a priority issue in South Africa because of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating accusations that a cartel, known as the Big Five and involved in drug trafficking and other lawbreaking, has infiltrated the criminal justice system, politics and private security. [CROOKED BLUE LINE SA’s cocaine shame: How cops ‘bungled’ global trafficking cases May 24, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/VmftA3_CYKbyWOrozKpM_a34zos=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/2992/P1CarynCocaineShame_930861.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-24-sas-cocaine-shame-how-cops-bungled-global-trafficking-cases/) Through the Madlanga Commission, it has emerged that some police officers believe their colleagues have either intentionally torpedoed major drug cases or that they have done so via negligence. Accusations underpinning the commission have led the government to launch a “reset agenda” for the police service. This is the backdrop to last week’s crackdown targeting the suspected drug manufacturing facility in Limpopo. **DM**