Durban – A coordinated intelligence-led operation by the Durban Metro Police and other law-enforcement agencies uncovered an illegal liquor manufacturing facility in the Linda Mnomiya area of Umlazi, south of Durban.
At the facility, ethanol and water were being mixed and passed off as counterfeit bottles of Smirnoff vodka.
According to the metro police spokesperson, Boysie Zungu, “The operation revealed individuals were mixing ethanol with water and bottling it as Smirnoff for sale to the public. Officers caught the main suspect in the act of mixing the components used to produce counterfeit liquor.”
During the raid, authorities confiscated five 25-litre containers of pure ethanol, four 5-litre containers of the same, six 750 ml bottles of diluted ethanol falsely branded as Smirnoff, as well as seven empty Smirnoff bottles, bottle caps, packaging material and manufacturing equipment.
#sapsHAWKS KwaZulu-Natal: On Tuesday, 11/11, a joint operation led to the arrest of a 29-year-old suspect for illegal manufacturing and selling of prohibited liquor in Umlazi.
The joint team acted on intelligence information about a tuckshop in Umlazi, where ethanol was being… pic.twitter.com/6GLGGZJuqN
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) November 12, 2025
Zungu estimated the haul at R73,200 in total value. The investigation was a joint effort involving the Durban Metro Police drug team, Counter Narcotics KZN, the Hawks Port Shepstone unit and the SAPS Economic Infrastructure Task Team.
This bust forms part of a broader, escalating crackdown on illicit alcohol trade in KwaZulu-Natal: in a recent separate operation in Howick, manufacturing machinery and large volumes of counterfeit Smirnoff-style bottles were seized by the Hawks.
Officials warn the illicit alcohol market not only undermines legitimate businesses and tax revenue, but poses a serious health risk: industrial-grade ethanol or methanol substituted for safe spirits can lead to poisoning, blindness or death.
As Zungu put it: “Well done to all units involved for their excellent teamwork and commitment to removing illegal and harmful substances from our communities.”
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
