Contraband confiscated
Four suspects were arrested after they were found with R1million's worth of illegal cigarettes along the R36 road in the Tzaneen area last week.
According to the spokesperson for the Hawks, Brigadier Hangwani Mulauszi, the suspects, Asraf Shaik (26), Nadim Shaik (24), both Indian nationals, Jame Siyayimu (21), a Malawian resident, together with a 30-year-old Johannesburg resident Thamsanqa Dladla were arrested while loading 1 059 master cases of illegal cigarettes worth over R1 million from a combi into a truck.
The four suspects made a brief appearance in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court last week and their case was postponed for formal bail application.
One of the suspects allegedly offered the police a R6 000 bribe and will face a further charge of attempting to bribe a police official.
They were due to appear in court at the time of going to press.
In July, local SAPS also uncovered an illegal cigarette smuggling operation at Yamorna Farm, just outside Tzaneen and recovered 145 boxes of cigarettes, valued at R2million.
When Police arrived at the farm, the suspects had already fled the scene and no arrests were made.
