The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) yesterday arrested a Chinese national belonging to a gang dedicated to counterfeiting GUD brand oil filters for vehicles.

After investigations, SERNIC arrested the foreign national driving a truck containing several boxes of pirated oil filters.

Representatives of the brand say this is not the first time that counterfeit filters have been seized. On one occasion, the owner of the product was arrested between September and December last year.

"But it seems he had to pay. I don't know which institutions they paid and he had to go and get the product from the warehouse. We had security guards," said the source quoted by TV Sucesso.

The detained citizen and the seized car were taken to the 9th Police Station in Maputo City, but higher "orders" prevented the foreigner, the goods and the car from remaining in police custody.

"What are these higher orders that are opening up the country to counterfeiting? If we're going to open up the country to counterfeiting, let them tell us," said Bercio Calqueiro, a GUD representative. "We're having accidents and vehicles being damaged."