Standerton – The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit in Secunda has arrested a 53-year-old Durban woman in connection with an ongoing investigation into a clandestine drug laboratory uncovered in Standerton, Mpumalanga.
The suspect, identified as Sandra Pillay, handed herself over to police in Standerton on Wednesday following what authorities described as an intensive investigation.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the arrest forms part of a broader probe launched after police discovered a drug manufacturing operation in Standerton earlier this year.
During the initial operation, authorities arrested two South African nationals and five Mozambican nationals. Investigators also seized 11 vehicles, including seven luxury vehicles, as well as more than R3 million in cash allegedly hidden in the boot of one of the vehicles.
Police said investigations later linked Pillay to the operation after her vehicle was identified among the luxury vehicles recovered at one of the premises allegedly used to manufacture drugs.
“The vehicle was allegedly found containing more than R3 million in cash, concealed in the boot,” SAPS said in a statement.
Pillay appeared before the Standerton Magistrate’s Court, where she was granted R10 000 bail.
She is expected to return to court on 23 June 2026, when she will join her co-accused in the matter.
Provincial Hawks head in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, commended investigators for their work on the case.
Gerber praised the team’s “unwavering commitment and dedication in ensuring that all individuals linked to illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking are brought to justice”.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
