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Police arrest two Ethiopian nationals, seize three vehicles and recover counterfeit goods worth more than R10 million in Mpumalanga.
Two Ethiopian nationals are set to appear in the White River Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga today on charges of possessing counterfeit goods and money laundering.
The suspects were arrested on Monday at a storage facility in Rocky’s Drift, where authorities uncovered counterfeit items valued at over R10 million.
The confiscated goods include clothing, body creams, cigarettes, and a substantial amount of cash.
Police also seized three vehicles, including an ambulance suspected to have been used to transport the illicit items.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
#sapsHAWKS Mpumalanga: The Provincial Head of the DPCI, Maj Gen Gerber applauded the multidisciplinary intelligence driven disruptive operation conducted at Rocky’s Drift in White River policing area on 25/11 leading to the arrest of two Ethopian nationals aged 27 and 47 and the… pic.twitter.com/iq3c9ktGW2
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) November 27, 2024
In a separate incident, police uncovered an illicit counterfeit hair product operation at a house in Farningham Ridge, Pinetown, west of Durban.
Four individuals, including two undocumented foreign nationals, were arrested.
Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the house is owned by a foreign national and known Pastor at a church in Umbilo.
“Police were following up on information about a flowbin reported stolen in Westmead on Sunday, 24 November 2024. Intelligence led officers to a house in Somerset Place, Pinetown, where the stolen flowbin was recovered,” said Netshiunda.
During the search, police discovered the house was being used to manufacture counterfeit hair products.
“Initial investigations revealed that the barcodes on the products are of a different product from a North American country,” Netshiunda added.
The two undocumented foreign nationals were found hiding in the ceiling and arrested, along with two women, one of whom is also a foreign national.
Netshiunda noted that the Pastor’s vehicle, branded with images of himself, his wife, and various hair product brands, was parked on the property. Invoices showed the products had been sold to wholesalers, retail stores, and hair salons, primarily in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
#sapsKZN Police in Pinetown have discovered a house which was used as a factory to manufacture illicit and counterfeit hair products in Somerset Place in Farningham Ridge, Pinetown on 26 November 2024. #StopIllicitTrade ML pic.twitter.com/uQF7ynaMN4
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) November 26, 2024
