Four nabbed in illicit cigarette bust
Illicit cigarettes worth R25 000 confiscated.
Members of the EMPD Germiston Crime Prevention Unit visited a business run by a businessman from Bangladesh, on the evening of May 3.
The raid revealed a stack of five brands of illicit cigarettes, openly displayed in the shop.
Several cartons and master cases were confiscated and four men were arrested.
The arrests took place at about 7pm, in Klopper Park.
A man who identified himself as the manager of the shop was one of those arrested.
He attempted to bribe the Metro Police officers by offering them R10 000 in cash.
Another one of the men arrested was found to be in possession of a fraudulent asylum-seeker document.
Two master cases of Seville, eight cartons of Mega, five cartons of Sharp, four cartons of Director and one carton of Savannah cigarettes, valued at R25 000, were seized.
Over and above the charges of possession of illicit cigarettes, the manager will face an additional charge of bribery and one of his employees an additional charge of being in possession of and using a fraudulent asylum-seeker document.
The men were aged between 29 and 44 years old.
