He added that there were nine suspects who were arrested in connection with the illegal labs.

"We started at the police station and saw these luxury cars which are worth millions of rands...I saw the pictures of the R3 million at the same time. I had to rub my eyes... R3 million just in the boot of a car. This shows that these people were really in business and were getting a lot of money from their illegal operations," added the minister.

Equipment and substances with an estimated value of R48 million and seven vehicles have been seized for further investigation by the authorities.

“This whole operation is an indication that we need to increase our law enforcement capacity in order to achieve such results and more. This is one aspect which we as the SAPS are focused on.

“The spaces where this operation was carried out (industrial and residentialareas) are indicative that municipalities have to rise to the occasion and be aware of the activities which take place in relation to the spaces they rent out.

“We know that there are illegal activities that unfold at Taxi and Bus ranks - there are people who are doing business in these ranks, and therefore we need to have regular raids - this is a call we are making to the municipalities, and to other law enforcement agencies.

“We have prioritised tackling drug trade - we are looking at dismantling the entire value chain,” said the minister.

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