The man is employed as a laboratory technician at a respected Pretoria university.

Late on Saturday night, members of the Hawks and the crime intelligence unit swooped on his house in the elite suburb of Pretoria North.

Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said that after police received a reliable tip-off, the man's movements and property were carefully monitored.

"Police had received a tip-off. Late last night (Saturday) we moved in after investigating for a couple of months.

"We found a 61-year-old university lab technician at the house with his wife and two children.

"We found R2-million worth of mandrax and equipment (and chemicals) to manufacture the drugs. Had he continued, he would have created R20m of mandrax," said Polela.

He said the man would appear before a still to be determined magistrate's court today on charges of drug possession, manufacturing and dealing.

"Our investigations are still to determine how long he has been manufacturing and dealing.

"What I found worrying was that we found a 16-year-old girl there. She obviously knew what was happening in that house.

"What kind of parent does this to a child," said Polela.

Website, drugaware.co.za, listed South Africa as one of the top clandestine laboratory locations.

The website stated: "South Africa is the largest abuser of mandrax in the world. Statistics show that mandrax with dagga is still the drug of preference in the largest parts of South Africa." - moengk@sowetan.co.za

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Thu May 23 18:06:29 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 23, 2012

Mrazane

I find it very interesting that the man's nationality or race is not mentioned, so I can make a reasonable deduction that he is not Nigerian and he is not black because if he was it would have been mentioned. Our media fuels xenophia and racism in this country - why can't all reports regarding drugs be rported like this - this way we will be focused on the crime and not race and nationality I am sure the police miss a lot of criminals because of the negative stereotypes they hold. Anyway congratulations on the capture the streets are little safer now.
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Jul 23, 2012

Real-Mogwanthi

I'm also looking for those equipments he used and the ingridients because i wanna manufacture drugs aswell!
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Jul 24, 2012

mathopeed

@Mrazane
I find it very interesting that the man's nationality or race is not mentioned, so I can make a reasonable deduction that he is not Nigerian and he is not black because if he was it would have been mentioned. Our media fuels xenophia and racism in this country - why can't all reports regarding drugs be rported like this - this way we will be focused on the crime and not race and nationality I am sure the police miss a lot of criminals because of the negative stereotypes they hold. Anyway congratulations on the capture the streets are little safer now.
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"Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said the father - who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of his daughter, a minor - was cooperative during his arrest".

Dont come here with that tendency sesi.
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Jul 24, 2012

Shredder

Mrazane - I find it very interesting that the man's nationality or race is not mentioned, so I can make a reasonable deduction that he is not Nigerian and he is not black because if he was it would have been mentioned.
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Let's wait and see.
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Jul 24, 2012

knobkirrie

He has to be a Nigerian, the scum the world over. Anyone can accuse me of xenophobia, i dont care, you dont come into your host country and abuse their hospitality. We have problems with Nigerians even here in the UK, giving black people a bad name. All nigerians should be sjambokked and mercilessy deported in dinghy boats and given compasses, pointing only to Nigeria
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