Couple fined for selling illegal beer
A Westering home was raided on Tuesday when police discovered a couple had been illegally brewing and selling beer using a make-shift brewery in their backyard for about three to four weeks.
In a joint venture, Nelson Mandela Bay police, Customs and the Eastern Cape Liquor Board raided the house on Tuesday morning, 5 May 2009, with an order to dispose of the beer.
Police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said the beer was initially tested on 29 April 2009 by customs after investigating the owner of the home for some time.
Police then returned to the house on Tuesday morning to destroy the alcohol, which had a combined street value of more than R40,000.
The beer was tested and found to have an alcohol level of 5.1%.
Van Rensburg said police suspected that the couple had been selling the alcohol for about three to four weeks without a liquor licence or necessary permit.
When The Herald arrived at the house, there were hundreds of bottles packed in crates in the back yard and more bottles in the garage.
There were also two 5000 litre plastic drums with a filtration system to manufacture the beer.
Police said the drums were full on their arrival.
The mini brewery and beer crates were hidden behind the home‘s boundary walls.
Two journalists were locked in the house for 20 minutes when the angry owners arrived home while the man drove off to fetch his lawyer.
Police tried to negotiate with the woman to allow the journalists to leave the house but she refused, until one policeman said she would be also be liable for a kidnapping charge.
Police and the team from customs then commenced with the disposing of the liquor in the back yard of the premises.
Van Rensburg said the couple were fined and would pay a further fine to customs for brewing and selling the illegal beer.
Source: The Herald
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