Law enforcement authorities in Cape Town, and most parts of South Africa, are dealing with increased illicit activity in the liquor trade, since the announcement of the alcohol ban.
Cape Town police arrest illegal liquor traders
Without a fixed income and a nation parched, most businesses regulated to trade in alcohol are resorting to extreme measures to keep afloat.
As such, the risks of selling alcohol at Alert Level 3 lockdown do come with consequences. The merchants arrested with alcohol worth R640 000 at the Airport Industria this week, know all to well about this.
According to Cape Town police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk, “nine suspects aged between 26 and 55 were arrested and members seized wine, a substantial amount of cash and a delivery truck.”
“After monitoring vital information for some time about illegal liquor trading from a farm in Paarl and at a premises at Airport Industria, Cape Town, Crime Intelligence operatives assisted by Anti-Gang Unit members bust a truckload of liquor on Tuesday afternoon,” the police spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Adhere to lockdown rules or get locked up’
When searching the storage facility at the Airport Industria, authorities were struck by the scale of preparation the suspects had invested in running this illicit business.
“Inside the premises in Airport Industria, police discovered a storage facility equipped with security uniforms, safes, forklifts and more boxes of alcohol,” Capt. Van Wyk added.
The suspects all appeared before the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court, on Wednesday, where the case against them was rescheduled for a later date.
Police have vowed to keep the pressure mounted on illegal liquor traders.
“Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Yolisa Mokgabudi has commended the unrelenting efforts of all police officials involved in ensuring adherence to the regulations of the adjusted level 3 regulations,” the statement concluded.