A 51-year-old Chinese man is due to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court today, 12 February, facing a charge of possession of illicit goods to the estimated value of R1,35 million. This followed his arrest on Thursday, 8 February, by the Bloemfontein Flying Squad members.
Sgt Sinah Mpakane, spokesperson for the Free State police, said the suspect’s arrest followed a police blitz at Bloemfontein’s East End Business Park which is in Mckenzie Street. She said the members received information from a reliable source about the storage of illicit goods that include cigarettes at the place in question.
“Members of the Flying Squad searched the premises and found 93 boxes of illicit cigarettes, matches, and counterfeit beauty products and medication in the form of tablets. The estimated street value of the items is about R1,35 million. The suspect was immediately arrested and issued a fine of R3 500 for the possession of the various counterfeit goods,” said Mpakane. She said the blitz was conducted at about 17:00.
Mpakane said upon members’ searching of the storage place, various fake beauty products and medication were discovered and were confiscated as part of an exhibit of evidence. Products include the following: Betasol creams, Aichun Beauty products, Bio Claire products, Riziat, Super Apeti merchandise, Rizla booklets, and Avbantitis tablets.
