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Tik lab arrest under wraps
09/05/2007 19:39 - (SA)
Bloemfontein - A 28-year-old man has appeared in Kestell Magistrate's Court in the Free State on charges related to drug dealing, police said on Wednesday.
Superintendent Motarafi Ntepe said the man, whom police did not want to identify, was still in police custody.
The court postponed the matter to June 13 for a bail application.
Ntepe said if the man's identity was made known, the investigation could be hampered.
Police discovered the well-equipped laboratory manufacturing the drug "tik" (methamphetamine) on a remote farm in the eastern Free State on Monday.
An American citizen was found at the farmhouse, which is on the road between Kestell and Phuthaditjhaba, and was arrested, Ntepe said earlier.
Phuthaditjhaba is a rural settlement located between the Drakensberg and Maluti mountain ranges in one of South Africa's least-populous areas.
Ntepe said the activity on the property aroused the suspicion of the surrounding community who reported this to police.
The police's organised crime unit in Phuthaditjhaba investigated and found the man on the property.
Found chemical and tik
He told police he had been renovating the property for the owner of the farm.
However, the man refused police entry to the home, saying he had to call the owner first.
After several unsuccessful attempts, police grew suspicious and entered the house.
They discovered face masks, a variety of chemicals, raw and already processed tik, hairdryers and evaporators.
Forensic experts from Pretoria were still on the farm on Wednesday as part of the investigation.
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