Illegal liquor plant discovered in Durbanville

Five foreign nationals are expected to appear in court on Wednesday following the discovery of an illegal liquor plant in Durbanville on Monday.

Metro Police together with SAPS confiscated over 2 000 litres of homemade gin following the discovery in Zebra street. The City of Cape Town said its Public Emergency Call Centre received a tip-off from the community about an illegal liquor plant operating in the area.

COURTESY: SAPS

‘’[Metro Police Neighbourhood Safety Officer (NSOs)] officers responded and on their arrival were granted permission to enter the property. Once inside they discovered 11 large drums filled with the gin as well as a machine seemingly being used to distil the alcohol. They also discovered that the suspects had been gathering bottles of two popular alcohol brands and were packaging the homemade liquor seemingly to be sold under these brand names,’’ said JP Smith, MMC for Safety & Security.

COURTESY: SAPS

Five Malawian Nationals - three men and two women - aged between 18 and 39, have been arrested on charges of illegal manufacturing of alcohol, contravening the Counterfeit Goods Act and possession of presumed stolen property.

The homeowner, a Chinese national, has also been arrested. The suspects are expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court, on Wednesday. The City of Cape Town said the suspected counterfeit liquor will be sent for forensic analysis.

COURTESY: SAPS

‘’Counterfeit alcohol is extremely dangerous and often contain toxic substances which can lead to severe health issues and even death. I applaud the NSOs for their swift action in this regard. The scene was handed over to Durbanville SAPS for further investigations,’’ said Smith.

Western Cape police confirmed that it is investigating a case of illegal manufacturing of alcohol.

‘’ The discovery of this plant will be use as a stepping stone to uncover more illegal manufacturing plants in this illicit industry,’’ said Sergeant Wesley Twigg, Western Cape police spokesperson.

 

Done by: Mitchum George