Durban — An elderly man was summoned to appear in court after he was charged with contravening the Counterfeit Goods Act.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said Hawks members from Durban Serious Commercial Crime Investigation served a summons to a 60-year-old suspect to appear before the court on charges of being in contravention of the Counterfeit Goods Act.
He said the members received information about a suspect who was selling counterfeit goods in Phoenix.
“A search and seizure warrant was executed on August 16, 2023. During the search, one hundred and ninety-seven Monopoly, Jenga, Cluedo, and Twister games were seized. The street value of the seized items is approximately R82 350,” Mhlongo said.
“He was charged with 197 counts of contravention of the Counterfeit Goods Act 37 of 1997 and is expected to appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on September 12, 2023.”
Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident last week, the South African Police Service Border Policing and South African Revenue Services (Sars) recovered luggage with counterfeit goods worth more than R1.5 million at Lebombo Port of Entry.
It is alleged that the Mozambican articulated Freight-liner truck, valued at about R2 million, attempted to gain entry into South Africa with the counterfeit luggage of jeans and sneakers, which was worth around R1.5 million prior to being intercepted by law enforcement agencies.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the driver fled from the scene, leaving behind the truck with the luggage.
The truck and the luggage were confiscated, and further investigation is being conducted in conjunction with Interpol to trace the owners of the truck, as well as those who were behind the smuggling of the goods.
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