PE cops in ‘Mafia syndicate’ bust
Italians nabbed with fake tools thought to be part of global crime network
FIVE Italian nationals, believed to be linked to a global organised crime syndicate, were arrested with more than R3-million worth of imitation power tools during a police crackdown operation which led them to Jeffreys Bay.
The suspects were allegedly selling the imitation power tools after rebranding them with stickers of well known brands like Stihl, Bosch and Honda.
The investigation has now led to Interpol, organised crime and other specialist units being roped in.
The bust came after a joint operation between Avis Rent a Car, which assisted with tracking vehicles, and the police’s metro hijacking task team, who arrested two of the men in Colchester, on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, on Monday.
Later that evening police raided a guesthouse in Wavecrest, Jeffreys Bay, and arrested three more Italian nationals who had stored millions of rands’ worth of fake drills, generators and chainsaws in one of the rooms. Another man man- aged to escape moments before the police arrived.
None of the suspects can be named until they appear in court tomorrow.
Detectives are following up leads that suggest the group is linked to the Italian Mafia who have run the same scam across Europe and in Britain.
On searching one of the rental vehicles, officers found a proof of payment of hundreds of thousands of rands to an overseas bank account.
British authorities said last year they were attempting to shut down a global organised crime gang – called the Camorra Mafia – based in Naples, Italy, which had made millions of pounds in profit over several years.
According to the Europol Threat Assessment on Italian Organised Crime, the Camorra has “infiltrated the economy of some target countries, including South Africa, Canada, USA, Venezuela and Spain”.
The report goes on to say the group is linked to several criminal networks by specialising in the sale of counterfeit products, usually procured from a Chinese supplier. They are also involved with drug trafficking and smuggling, among other activities.
The 2014 Interpol Trafficking and Counterfeiting report says syndicate members operate as franchisees and can adapt rapidly to changing markets, commercial trends, political developments and threats.
Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order giving the United States Treasury Department more authority to fight criminal organisations.
The US Treasury Department named the Camorra gang as the largest Italian organised crime group, with international ties linked to counterfeiting, smuggling and narcotics trafficking.
Detectives yesterday confirmed that the passports of all five suspects revealed that they were well travelled.
According to police, the group was wanted for cases including fraud and theft in Gauteng.
The syndicate had fake receipts, in- voices and business cards to make the equipment and deals appear legitimate.
By late yesterday, Gauteng detectives were travelling to Port Elizabeth to transport some of the suspects to Nigel in Gauteng for other pending cases.
Officers linked to the investigation confirmed that the group of six had entered the country , on holiday visas at different stages from June. It is still unknown how the equipment was smuggled into the country.
Police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said the bust came after detectives managed to track two rental vehicles after being alerted that the men were spotted in the metro.
“We have identified that all these items are counterfeit and the group’s modus operandi is to pretend to need money for a plane ticket back to Italy.
“They also allegedly managed to con a Port Elizabeth man after approaching him with fake invoices stating [some of] the equipment was worth R109 000 and that they would sell it to him for R34 000 as they needed money for a plane ticket to Italy.”
Janse van Rensburg said the vehicles the men rented matched their claim to be businessmen. They included an Audi A3, a Jeep and a Toyota Fortuner.
“The man who managed to escape fled in an Avanza. Detectives are following up leads to apprehend him, and airports have been alerted in case he attempts to skip the country.”
Hijacking task team commander Captain Pieter Botha, who headed the raid in Jeffreys Bay, said: “This group appears to travel the country selling the fake goods and as the police close in on them, they skip town and move on to the next.
“We are liaising with Interpol to establish if they are wanted internationally and what connection they have with the organised crime network.”
Detectives have appealed to anyone who has fallen victim to this syndicate to contact Warrant Officer Hannelie Greyling on 082-090-9655.
The men are expected to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, after which they will be transported to Gauteng under police guard.