Six people have been arrested in connection with the discovery of a large-scale illegal alcohol manufacturing operation, spanning Cape Town and the Cape Winelands.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain F.C. Van Wyk, confirmed that members attached to the Operation Shanela 2 unit acted on intelligence when they arrived on a farm in Faure on Thursday.
There, Van Wyk said, they found a fully operational illegal alcohol manufacturing facility inside a building on the property.
Officers seized large volumes of illicit alcohol and production equipment used to make “counterfeit or unregulated liquor”.
“Plastic containers filled with chemicals, hundreds of empty and pre-filled liquor bottles, industrial-grade bottling and capping machinery and boxes,” is among the things officers found on the scene, said Van Wyk.
Van Wyk added that this then led officers to a storage facility in Woodstock, where illegal, pre-packaged alcohol that was ready for distribution was also confiscated.
Video of this discovery has done the rounds on social media.
Arrests
In connection with the illegal alcohol manufacturing plant in Stellenbosch, Van Wyk confirmed that five Malawian nationals, between the ages of 26 and 45, were arrested on site.
They have been charged for contravening the Liquor Act and are expected to appear in the Stellenbosch Magistrates’ Court soon.
Meanwhile, a 53-year-old Chinese national was arrested at the storage facility in Woodstock. Van Wyk said he will face similar charges to the Malawian nationals, but will appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court.
Van Wyk added that Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile, commended the officers involved in the operation.
“This confiscation was in line with the provincial policing approach to close down illegal manufacturing of liquor and also the distribution of liquor outlets also known as shebeens. These operations will be sustained in an effort to eradicate alcohol abuse which remains one of the contributing factors to serious and violent crimes, especially over weekends,” said Patekile in a statement on the matter.
This incident follows a similar situation in September.
READ MORE: Seven alleged illegal alcohol manufacturers have been arrested – Smile 90.4FM
