Five people are expected to appear in separate courts in the Western Cape after being arrested for illegal manufacturing and trading in alcohol on Friday.
In the first incident, police officers were following up on information on the illegal manufacturing of alcohol in Lingelethu West in the policing precinct in Khayelitsha.
The Western Cape police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said officers pounced on an address in Illitha Park armed with a search warrant.
“The members entered the residence in Nqilomathi Street where they found four males busy filling empty bottles with a fake substance, portraying a well-known liquor. The males could not provide an explanation for the presence of the bottling machine or the falsified labels. They detained the four males on a charge of illegal manufacturing of counterfeit liquor,” Swartbooi said.
The alcohol was stocked in cardboard boxes, bottles sealed to look like the real deal.
Once charged, the four suspects are expected to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
In a separate incident in Paarl, police confiscated R250,000 worth of alcohol.
“Meanwhile, Paarl East police conducted disruptive crime prevention initiatives when the members descended on an address in Symphony Road and searched the premises. The owner of the premises could not account for the amount of alcohol on his premises nor could he produce a valid permit to be in possession of the amount of alcohol. The members confiscated liquor with an estimated street value of R250,000 and in the process arrested an adult male for dealing in liquor without a valid license,” Swartbooi said.
Once charged, the suspect will appear in the Paarl Magistrate’s Court.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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