Hair products and pest-control items seized during the Middelburg operation. | Photo: SAPS Mpumalanga.
Police seized 1,687 items valued at more than R1.5 million during a two-day search and seizure operation in Middelburg on 22 and 23 September 2026.
According to the SAPS, the items included cockroach bait and traps, mosquito repellent, cigarettes, hair creams and hair polish. The operation was led by the SAPS Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit in the Nkangala District, with support from environmental health practitioners and the Department of Agriculture.
Cigarettes among the goods seized during the operation. | Photo: SAPS Mpumalanga.
Police are investigating a case involving the sale of counterfeit goods. Environmental health practitioners and the Department of Agriculture also issued non-compliance notices.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise said operations targeting illicit trade would continue across the province. Police urged residents to report suspected sales of counterfeit or illicit goods at their nearest police station, through the MySAPS app or to Crime Stop on 08600 10111.