Police swooped on a shop and seized counterfeit goods worth more than R3 million and arrested a suspect for alleged bribery in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk said police had made the arrest when a National Counterfeit Goods Unit operation led the team to the store in Midrand where they seized the goods and arrested a Pakistani national for bribery.
She said the operation involved members from the counterfeit unit, commercial crimes detectives, officials from the South African Revenue Service, brand protectors, crime prevention wardens, and private security officers.
“They executed a search and seizure warrant, targeting shops within a local shopping centre in Midrand,” Van Wyk said.
“Over 4 000 items imitating well-known brands were seized, including sports apparel, shoes, cellphones, cellphone accessories, Bluetooth speakers, and earphones. During the operation, a Pakistani national attempted to bribe the officials and was subsequently arrested,” she said.
Last week, the National Counterfeit Goods Unit, in collaboration with brand protectors, seized counterfeit petroleum oil worth over R200 000 and arrested four Zimbabwean nationals in Monavoni, a suburb on the outskirts of Centurion.
“These recent successes follow similar takedown operations led by the National Counterfeit Goods Unit over the last six months in different parts of the country,” Van Wyk said.
