COUNTERFEIT goods worth more than R3 million were recovered by multi-disciplinary law enforcement officers during the O Kae Molao police operation in Hillbrow, Joburg on Thursday, 16 February.
The operation was a continuation of the raid which the South African Police Service, the customs department and private security held on Saturday, 11 February.
Leading the raid, deputy Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said on Saturday they were able to confiscate goods worth over R12 million.
Mthombeni said the raids continue to show the amount of money the country continues to lose through counterfeit goods.
“This is a concern to the country in terms of the tax. You can imagine the R12 million and the over R3 million, the tax implications to South Africa are quite huge,” he said.
He further said to fight this scourge, they have decided to get more boots on the ground and are collaborating with other organisations, such as the United States embassy.
He said they have been able to make arrests, while some of the shop owners didn’t go to open their shops after seeing huge police visibility.
Mthombeni said the counterfeit goods they have recovered included branded clothing labels.
He said those who have been arrested are facing charges of trading in counterfeit goods and customs will also be working with them to add charges.
After the raid, the law enforcement agencies took to the streets searching for stolen cars, unlicensed firearms, and other illegal activities.
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A man carrying R20 000 cash and driving a vehicle without a licence disc was among those who were arrested.
Another man who was driving a Nissan Navara that did not have a dashboard and looked new but told the police he bought it last year was also arrested.
The man failed to give police answers on why the car had no dashboard and why the licence disc was not renewed.
