Photo: SAPS
Joburg CBD raid: Police confiscate counterfeit goods worth R36m
Police seized various items of clothing and footwear by international sports and luxury clothing brands
Photo: SAPS
Johannesburg’s central business district was the scene of blue lights, sirens and heaps of counterfeit goods blocking the street on Wednesday.
Joburg police have sustained pressure on illegal trading since the uproars of 2019. Collaborative work between the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Metro police has yielded some positives in the fight to eradicate an illicit market that hurts the South African economy.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters (Brig Peters), counterfeit goods worth hundreds of millions of rand were confiscated in the Joburg CBD this festive season. These items will all be destroyed on Thursday, 23 January, she confirmed.
Joburg CBD raid: The value of counterfeit goods confiscated
Brig Peters revealed in a statement that the team that led the search operation included; members of the Gauteng Saps; the Gauteng traffic police; the City of Johannesburg emergency services; ER24 (in the event that violence breaks out and people get hurt); legal representatives; as well as representatives from international brands.
“Police operationalised information that there was an illegal trade operation in a building in the Johannesburg CBD. On arrival at the building, police discovered different kinds of branded clothing and footwear of international sports and luxury clothing brands,” Brig Peters revealed.
Suspects arrested, some found to be in SA illegally
For the illegal traders, there was no getting away with it. The brand representatives were able to tell apart the real from the fake with great ease.
Consequently, the search recovered counterfeit goods to the value of an estimated R36-million and 16 suspects were arrested and charged with possession of and dealing in counterfeit goods.
Peters further confirmed that eight of the 16 suspects will face additional charges “for being in the country illegally”. The suspects are due to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court as soon as the charges have been filed.
