Building owners who rent their properties to shops that sell fake goods should be fined, says the Voortrekker Corridor Improvement District (VRCID) following a raid of counterfeit goods valued at millions of rands in Bellville last week.
Also read: Counterfeit goods worth over R100 million seized in Cape Town operation
Derek Bock, VRCID CEO, says building owners can’t claim that they don’t know about these offences and warns that the non-profit will continue to report these types of shops to the police.
‘We ask that this becomes a regular occurrence because the fake goods have a negative impact on our country’s economy and employment,’ said Bock.
As per News24, a multidisciplinary team was involved in the operation at the Bellville Station Shopping Centre on Durban Road. It was aimed at combatting the illicit trade in fake goods.
‘At around 10:00 the multidisciplinary team executed a search warrant after a thorough investigation where intelligence was gathered over a period of time,’ says Colonel Andre Traut, SAPS provincial spokesperson.
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Four people were arrested, and truckloads of counterfeit goods, including popular brands and illicit tobacco products, were confiscated. Traut adds that a fair estimate of the value of these items exceeds R100 million. ‘As our investigation unfolds, more arrests could be affected.’
Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile says those who are under the impression that they can make a lucrative living from selling inferior goods to the public and impacting the economy of the county should reconsider, ‘because more similar operations will be executed not long from now.’
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