Accused to remain in custody after arrest during raid at liquor warehouse

POTCHEFSTROOM – A 38-year-old was remanded in custody upon appearance in the Vryburg Magistrates’ Court today for contravention of Section 2(1) of the Counterfeit Goods Act, 1997 (Act No. 37 of 1997).
The accused’s court appearance stems from his arrest in Vryburg during a Crime Intelligence driven operation by the Vryburg K9 Unit members in conjunction with the South African Revenue Services (SARS), the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) officials. That after the team members executed a search and seizure warrant at an identified warehouse where liquor products destined for export, but instead sold within the South African market for a reduced price, were stored. Consequently, a large consignment of different kinds of liquor was found in the warehouse.
Further investigation, led to the discovery of a server network used for bitcoin investment and 15 electricity inverters. It was further established that some authentic labels on the bottles were removed and replaced with counterfeit labels to avoid the detection of an export product. The team also identified 828 x 750ml and 24 x 1 Litres bottles of Richelieu brandy which were allegedly stolen during a business robbery in Germiston, Gauteng Province. All liquor products with estimated value of R5.4 million were seized. Investigation into the matter by the DPCI continues.