Counterfeit Smirnoff bottles, manufacturing equipment seized in Howick: Hawks' latest operation against illicit alcohol
Counterfeit bottles of Smirnoff 1818 and manufacturing machinery were seized by the Hawks at a property in Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Image: SAPS
The Hawks have seized machinery worth millions of rand allegedly used to manufacture counterfeit bottles of Smirnoff 1818 alcohol in Howick, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, in what authorities describe as a significant breakthrough in the fight against South Africa’s illicit alcohol trade.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), members from the Pietermaritzburg and Durban Serious Commercial Crime Investigation units carried out the operation at the weekend at a property on Ogilvie Road.
The police said in statement that the seizure followed an investigation launched on October 15 after the Hawks received information about a container detained at a depot in Durban that allegedly contained counterfeit Smirnoff bottles, closures, and stickers.
Further intelligence revealed that the container was destined for Howick, prompting the execution of a search warrant on October 23.
During the raid, officers discovered sophisticated manufacturing equipment, including a bottle blowing machine, high-pressure air compressor, evaporating temperature machine, industrial chiller, and fine compressor air filters.
Police also said that various sizes of counterfeit Smirnoff 1818 bottles were also found on-site. No arrests have been made yet, and investigations are continuing.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Provincial Head, Major General (Dr) Lesetja Senona, commended the members for their work, noting that the operation underscores the unit’s ongoing commitment to dismantling organised counterfeit networks.
The seizure follows a similar operation in June this year, when the Provincial Organised Crime Unit, together with the Provincial Drug and Firearm Unit and the Counterfeit Goods Unit, confiscated suspected counterfeit vodka valued at R250,000 in Marianhill, Durban. One suspect was arrested and charged under the Liquor Act and Counterfeit Goods Act.
According to a 2025 Euromonitor International study commissioned by the Drinks Federation of South Africa (DFSA), the illicit alcohol market in South Africa has grown by 55% over the past seven years, reaching 773,424 hectolitres of litres of alcohol equivalent in 2024.
The report found that one in every five alcoholic beverages purchased in the country is illicit, with 53% being spirits such as vodka and whisky. The resulting fiscal loss to the economy was estimated at R16.5 billion in 2024, up from R11.3 billion in 2020.
Illicit alcohol typically enters the market through counterfeiting, smuggling, and tax leakage, and is often up to 37% cheaper than legal alternatives. Despite health concerns, 67% of buyers admit they choose illicit products because of affordability, while 83% worry about the risks. The DFSA has warned that counterfeit alcohol can contain hazardous substances such as methanol, posing serious health threats.