Police raise alarm about farms used for illegal activities

Cocaine found at a farm in Midrand.

Police say criminal syndicates are increasingly using farms and plots for illegal activities, including drug operations, human trafficking and illegal mining.

This comes after police seized cocaine worth more than R20 million during a raid at a plot in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Officers embarked on a multi-disciplinary operation following a tip-off.

A 56-year-old man, believed to be the owner of the plot, has been arrested. He is expected to appear in the Midrand Magistrate’s Court this week.

“A lot of farms, small plots, your holdings, they are being targeted. They are being used by these syndicates, where they would either buy a farm to do these illegal activities, where they will manufacture the drugs or they will then rent the farm from a farm owner to do their illegal activities. We have seen, especially in the Mpumalanga area, where we have made quite a number of major drug busts. I think the recent one was in September,” says SAPS national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.

#sapsHQ A crime intelligence driven operation conducted on Tuesday evening, 28/10, resulted in the discovery of R20 MIL worth of cocaine at a small holding in Midrand, Gauteng. A 56yr-old man who is believed to be the owner of the plot has been arrested and the cocaine weighing… pic.twitter.com/tGwBHumRvB

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) October 29, 2025