CRIME NEWS - Officers taking part in a joint police crime-combating operation aimed at curbing the proliferation of counterfeit goods on the Garden Route, confiscated goods valued at about R510 000 from shops in the central business districts of Knysna and Plettenberg Bay last week.
Sergeant Christopher Spies, Southern Cape police spokesperson, said the officers went to the shops on Tuesday 17 September and seized household goods and cellphone accessories.
Three Pakistani nationals aged between 20 and 25 were taken into custody for contraventions of the Immigration Act.
Officers carrying out the operation were attached to the Western Cape Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Policing Team, Public Order Police, Garden Route District Crime Combating Team and Brand Protectors.
Their operation formed part of a broader inter-provincial cross-border clampdown on the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods, involving officers stationed in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Free State, which began on Monday 16 September and concluded on Friday, 20 September.
Overall, goods worth an estimated at R1 million were seized on the Garden Route.
The Pakistani nationals would appear in court once formally charged.
Western Cape police management had "commended all role-players for their commitment to close down the counterfeit industry, which is threatening the economy of the province".
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