Cape Town – The South African Revenue Service said on Wednesday that customs services at Lebombo border post had made a “massive seizure” of suspected counterfeit sneakers with a total value of R8.7 million early on Monday morning.
A total of 9 085 pairs of sneakers carrying the Adidas brand and 1 850 pairs of “Nikes” were discovered in a truck entering South Africa from Mozambique in the early hours of Monday morning.
The truck driver had ignored requests from customs officials to stop at the checkpoint. The officials identified the truck as having been detained in July this year with a consignment of clothing, and they and members of the South African Police Service gave chase.
The vehicle came to a halt outside the port area and the driver, a man, fled on foot. No arrests were made, Sars added.
The truck was taken to a warehouse, where the consignment has been detained. Brand-holders within South Africa would be required to do an authentication process.
The Sars statement added a note of thanks to customs staff as well as members of other law enforcement agencies who had remained on duty and continued to be vigilant during the festive period.
“This bust demonstrates the consistency of our customs team members who continually make Sars proud,” it added.