Groblersdal – The third Mexican arrested in connection with the illicit drug lab at a farm appeared in the Groblersdal Magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
The Mexican was named as 44-year-old Ruben Vidal Rodriguez.
He is the fifth accused in the matter in which law enforcers recovered illicit drugs with an estimated street value of R2 billion.
The other four accused – two Mexicans 51-year-old Gonzales Jorge, and 43-year-old Gutierrez Lopes as well as farm owner 67-year-old Frederick Botha, and 35-year-old Simphiwe Khumalo – were arrested on Friday, (19 July 2024).
All four accused were arrested through an anti-drug operation carried out by members of the police Limpopo Serious Organised Crime Investigation team assisted by the Limpopo Tactical Response Team at a farm in Groblersdal, where a multi-million clandestine laboratory was discovered.
The four accused appeared in court on Monday, the same day Rodriguez was arrested.
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The case against the four accused arrested on Friday was postponed to 1 August 2024
The fifth accused Rodriguez made a brief appearance before his matter was rolled over to Thursday, (24 July 2024), for legal representation.
All five accused were remanded in custody.
