If you think you can scam people by selling illegal alcohol and get away with it, think again. The future of a former wine manager is bleak after he was handed a six year sentence for fraud and contravening the Liquor Act.
According to Hawks, 55-year-old Johannes Jacobus Brits, was found guilty on 23 charges of fraud and two charges of contravention of the Liquor Act. He was sentenced by the Oudtshoorn Regional Court on Monday, 11 April.
The matter dates back to an incident that took place from May to July 2009 where Brits contravened the law by mixing water with yeast and sugar and thus fermented a mixture of various ingredients and mixed it with wine and sold it as wine to the public. He worked as a main manager at Kango wines in Oudtshoorn.
Hawks spokesperson, Zinzi Hani, said the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries became aware of his dodgy ways and closed the tanks containing the iffy mixture.
“Further investigation revealed that on two occasions, Brits broke the seals and continued to sell the prohibited substance where he later claimed it was “Ale” which is not covered by the Liquor Act,” said Hani.
She added that Brits was convicted in September 2015 after trying all the tricks in the book to delay the court and to stay out of jail. He tried to appeal the conviction and the appeal was dismissed.
He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment of which two years are suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.
Also Read:
Picture: Unsplash