Pretoria - Counterfeit goods worth over R5 million have been confiscated in Bellville in Cape Town, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said on Saturday.
A joint multi-disciplinary team conducted a search and seizure operation in Bellville on Thursday in an effort to eradicate the spread of counterfeit goods, Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Philani Nkwalase said in a statement.
The Hawks, South African Police Service (SAPS) crime intelligence, health department officials, brand holders Adams and Adams, and Spoor and Fisher infiltrated the area after the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and SAPS public order police cordoned off the area and kept a vigilant eye on merchants and employees, Nkwalase said.
"The retailers closed shops upon seeing the presence of law enforcement agencies. However, this didn’t deter the team from executing their job. Several products from well-known brands ranging from T-shirts, tracksuits, sneakers, flip-flops, shorts, all valued at over R5 million were seized."
Picture: Supplied/Hawks
Picture: Supplied/Hawks
Picture: Supplied/Hawks
The goods were recovered from four shops and no arrests were made pending further investigation by the Hawks serious commercial crime investigation unit. Charges that would be preferred would include fraud and contraventions of the Counterfeit Goods and Medicine Acts, Nkwalase said.