Fake clothing, watches and other apparel valued at R5.1 million were confiscated at a shopping complex near the taxi rank in Bellville on Thursday, 25 January.
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According to Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, the joint operation between the South African Police Service (SAPS), customs, home affairs and brand protectors of several popular products honed in on various shops at around 11am.
‘Upon [their] arrival, SAPS members found most of the stores abandoned, but this did not deter the operation [from being] executed. Three Somalian men in their mid-thirties were arrested and counterfeit goods to the estimated value of about R5.1million were seized,’ says Pojie.
Among the other suspects was a 36-year-old man who was found inside a shop fronting as a copy shop. Here, authorities discovered a substantial amount of cash, passports, photos, certificates (including birth certificates, asylum, death and refugee certificates), vehicle licences, affidavits and a money-counting machine.
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The suspects face charges relating to possessing counterfeit goods and fraud and will appear in the Bellville Magistrates’ Court once charged.
More charges might be added as the provincial detective’s commercial branch investigation continues.
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Also read:
Western Cape police confiscate illicit diamonds worth R1.2m in Worcester
