Counterfeit goods worth R13 million have been seized and five people arrested in a South African Police Services (Saps) raid in the Johannesburg CBD yesterday.
Saps national media liaison officer, Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk, said the bust showed that the police continue to make inroads to identify and dismantle the illicit trade.
She said Saps, South African Revenue Services and brand protectors as well as security companies had received information about businesses in central Johannesburg trading in counterfeit products, and acted on it.
“The operation resulted in the seizure of over 18,000 counterfeit items, such as clothing, apparel, shoes, bags, caps and watches.”
Counterfeit or illicit goods have been flooding South Africa’s shores, which stunts legitimate production and business activity and the overall growth of the country’s economy, according to Saps. It also has a damaging effect on established iconic brands when their identity is hijacked for illicit product manufacture and retail.
