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Police received several complaints from the community about a local tavern, which ignored closing regulations when selling alcohol.
- Police seized millions worth of alcohol and arrested a tavern keeper in Butterworth on Saturday.
- The sale of liquor is prohibited under the adjusted Level 3 lockdown regulations.
- The chief and his two co-defendants will face charges related to the violation of the Disaster Management Act.
An Eastern Cape tavern manager, allegedly selling alcohol illegally, was arrested by police on Saturday and liquor worth 5 million rand was seized.
He was expected to appear in Butterworth Magistrates Court on Monday, along with two co-defendants, for violating the Disaster Management Act, Eastern Cape police said.
Police spokesman Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said the men are between 27 and 45 years old.
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He said the three were arrested at Extension 7 in Msobomvu Township for violating regulations, which prohibit the sale of alcohol under the adjusted Level 3 closure regulations.
The sale of liquor for consumption both on-site and off-site is currently prohibited until February 15, as part of the latest regulations to contain a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.
READ | Lift alcohol ban by seven days or risk industry collapse, liquor dealers say
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the move from Alert Level 1 to Adjusted Level 3 on December 28.
The president said the health system was under stress from trauma cases associated with alcohol use.
Large numbers of people smoke like there’s no tomorrow, binge eating, and binge drinking, all in a desperate attempt to comfort themselves and mitigate the stress, anxiety, fear, and depression that Covid-19 has brought. .co / oNXLOxlild
– News24 (@ Noticias24) January 22, 2021
This is the third time since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak that the sale of alcohol has been banned.
Kinana said the arrests came during an intelligence campaign, which included detectives and visible surveillance.
According to the information, Operation Tight Grip was carried out in response to various complaints and information received from the community about a local tavern, which ignored lockdown regulations against the sale of liquor.
“After two weeks of observation and investigation to gather evidence about the activities of the tavern, the owner, along with two of his workers, were arrested by the police for selling liquor and using so-called black market prices,” Kinana said. .
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Kinana said that around R5 million worth of alcohol, a firearm, ammunition, three bench speed points and two CCTV monitors were seized during the operation.
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