Another day, another big lockdown contraband bust in the Western Cape.
Police in Parow, Cape Town, responded to a tip-off that alerted the to an illegal liquor selling operation where two men were distributing a stash of booze valued at over R1 million.
Police raided a premises in the industrial area of Parow, where they came across a group of men trading liquor.
Among the group, two men were arrested for selling liquor and another two were arrested for purchasing it.
Police spokesperson Liuteneant Colonel Andre “Traut said that officers would continue to ensure that those breaking lockdown laws were punished.
“To ensure that offenders of the law are brought to book, members of the Western Cape Flying Squad reacted on a tipoff about illegal liquor trading in Parow yesterday and arrested four suspects,” he said.
“Information led our members to a business premises situated in the Parow industrial area where two men who purchased liquor illegally and two men who traded in liquor illegally were arrested.”
He said that 319 boxes of liquor with an estimated value of R1.1 million were confiscated.
The suspects aged 26, 27, 32 and 36 -years-old are scheduled to make their court appearances in Parow once they have been charged in terms of the Disaster Management Act.
Police in the province have made a series of liquor and cigarette related busts over the last week, with smugglers getting increasingly creative as they try to move their supplies.
Police have also been coming down hard on bars and shebeens who have continued to sell their stock, and have launched 51 investigations in total, with 20 liquor licenses suspended.
Two reports are being referred to the Liquor Licensing Tribunal (LLT) for consideration. An additional 12 cases remain under investigation and 5 have been referred to South African Police Service (SAPS).
