A 43-YEAR-OLD man from one of Oudtshoorn’s biggest wine producers appeared in the magistrate’s court charged with defeating the ends of justice and manufacturing and distributing a product in contravention of his liquor licence.

Southern Cape police spokesman Captain Bernadine Steyn said Brits was released on R1000 bail on Friday and would appear in court on May 14.

On April 25 police, the SA Revenue Service, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who all took part in Operation Lumke, seized one million litres of “an illicit product” from Kango Wines co-op at two premises in Oudsthoon.