A 20-year-old Chinese national was detained in the Western Cape for trading in counterfeit, illegitimate, and unlawful goods.
He was allegedly dealing illegal alcohol with a street value of R24 million.
After being charged, the suspected illegal alcohol trader is scheduled to appear in Bellville Magistrates Court.
“Multidisciplinary efforts to stop the illegal trading of counterfeit goods which impact on the economy of South Africa yielded success, when police members executed counterfeit operations in Eersteriver,” said Police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg
Twigg went on to say that on Wednesday June 12, the Provincial Counterfeit Illicit and Contraband Goods Task Team conducted a counterfeit operation in the Kleinvlei police precinct.
“The members ensued with a search of a liquor outlet on the corner of Plain and Ryneveld Streets, Eersteriver where they confiscated liquor which did not meet the requirements for sale purposes. The estimated street value of the liquor is R24 million.”
In January, police also uncovered over R5 million on the illegal trade of illicit counterfeit goods.
Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, the provincial police spokesperson, said that the take-down operation involved SAPS, Customs, Home Affairs, and brand protectors from several popular products.
He stated that the recovered products totalled R5.1 million in phoney clothing, watches, and other apparel.
“The take-down operation kicked off at around 11am with a search warrant at a shopping complex close to the Bellville taxi rank, where two similar operations have been conducted in the recent past.
“Upon their arrival, SAPS members found most of the stores abandoned, but this did not deter the operation from being executed. Three Somali men in their mid-thirties were arrested, and counterfeit goods to the estimated value of about R5.1 million were seized,” Pojie said.
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