Business Talk – Waal de Waal and Jarred West explain how organized crime syndicates have evolved in South Africa
In this Business Talk with Michael Avery interview, Waal de Waal and Jarred West discuss how organized economic crime has expanded beyond counterfeit goods and smuggling.
De Waal is the Chief Operating Officer at Bidvest Protection, and he has been with the company for nearly 25 years.
Through the knowledge and insight he has acquired doing his job, de Waal has also become a well-known commentator on South Africa’s biggest security issues.
He has provided high-profile commentary on platforms like Carte Blanche about a variety of illicit crime, including illegal infrastructure and fuel-related crimes.
West is a Partner at Spoor and Fisher and has over a decade of experience in the anti-counterfeiting sector.
He specialises in marketplace enforcement and has presented several seminars on brand protection and anti-counterfeiting, including to officials of the Department of Customs and Excise and members of the South African Police Service.
The interview
In this Business Talk interview, de Waal and West discuss the networks that exist behind the dissemination of counterfeit products, illicit fuel, money laundering, and more.
West explains why counterfeit products like pharmaceuticals, vehicle parts, and electronics present serious risks to ordinary South Africans – many of whom do not know they are buying fake products.
The two experts also explain how the criminal syndicates behind these illicit markets diversify, and de Waal expands upon how illegal fuel networks can be tracked.
Both experts discuss how weaknesses in law enforcement, intelligent gathering, border control, and prosecution result in fragmented responses that allow criminal syndicates to keep adapting.
They conclude the discussion by revealing what it will take for South Africa to fight against illicit trade.
Watch the full interview with de Waal and West below.
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