Cape Town – Durban metro police reportedly arrested a 45-year-old man for illegal alcohol manufacturing and seized cases of fake Smirnoff vodka along with branding material.
This came after metro police officers received a tip-off on Friday about a man suspected to be manufacturing alcohol in Amaotana, north of Durban.
“Members gathered an operation in Amaotana and found 12 x 200ml full bottles of fake Smirnoff vodka, 12 x 750ml full bottles of fake Smirnoff vodka in a case, 4 x 25 litres of fake Smirnoff vodka, brand new Smirnoff vodka boxes for packaging, multiple Smirnoff vodka caps, a jar and a red funnel for filling the bottles,” IOL quoted Durban Metro Police’s superintendent, Boys Zungu as saying.
The report said the suspected was arrested and charged under Act 37 of 1997 Sec 2(1)(b) Counterfeit Goods Act and Act 59 of 2003 Sec 4(2) Liquor Act in Verulam SAPS.
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According to police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, the suspect was expected to appear at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday July 25, the report said.
In 2020, the Pietermaritzburg Tactical Response Team seized 20 cases of sealed fake alcohol labelled as “Smirnoff Vodka” at a homestead in Dududu, reported The South African.
Officers also found hundreds of empty bottles that were about to be filled.
The suspects, however, managed to flee the scene, the report said.
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
