(IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATIVE PURPOSES)
South Africa’s trade in fake and illicit goods took a major hit this month, as police teams descended on shops and storage facilities across three provinces.
After weeks of coordinated planning, multidisciplinary units recovered more than R30 million worth of counterfeit and illicit items, a haul police say highlights both the scale of the trade and the urgency of stopping it.
The operations form part of an intensified national effort to disrupt illegal markets that continue to impact consumers and the economy.
Police say the raids unfolded over the last two weeks in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, with officers acting on a series of search and seizure warrants aimed at high-risk sites.
The teams seized over 800,000 counterfeit and illicit products, according to the South African Police Services.
These included clothing, footwear, pharmaceuticals, tobacco items, toys, food products, insecticides, non-compliant electronics, and even a gambling machine.
Police also recorded the discovery of embroidery equipment, silk screen printing machines, packaging supplies, and branded labels, tools that officers believe were part of illegal manufacturing setups.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the raids also led to multiple arrests, as one suspect was detained for contravening the Tobacco Products Control Act, while three others face additional charges under the Immigration Act.
In another case, police apprehended an individual for the illegal possession of a gambling machine.
SAPS noted that the national and provincial Counterfeit, Contraband and Illicit Goods Units led the operations, supported by a long list of law-enforcement and regulatory partners.
These included Public Order Policing Units, Border Policing, Commercial Crime detectives, K9 Units, local police stations, and the Durban Metro Police.
Regulatory bodies also played a key role, as the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, the Departments of Health, Agriculture, and Home Affairs, the National Consumer Council, and the Gambling Board were among those who assisted, along with several brand representatives.
Police emphasised these partnerships remain essential as counterfeit goods often appear across multiple sectors, from health products to electronics.
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