Cigarette smugglers get hefty sentences
Two Zimbabweans have received hefty sentences after they were found in possession of illicit cigarettes of more than R2 million.
The Giyani Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Phathisani Khumalo (27) to five years imprisonment or a fine of R1 million and Victor Sithole (24) to two years or a fine of R5000 for being in the country illegally. “On September 30 last year, the police’s Limpopo Flying Squad found an Isuzu truck along the N1 road offloading illicit cigarettes to a smaller vehicle,” said Mashudu MalabiDzhangi, spokesperson of the NPA.
They searched the truck and found 141 boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes covered with grass. Khumalo was the driver of the truck and Sithole was the passenger. Khumalo took responsibility for the cigarettes and declared Sithole innocent. In mitigation of the sentence, the defense lawyer submitted that the accused was a first-time offender, has pleaded guilty as a sign of remorse, and both accused had been in custody since September 2022.
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He further said that Khumalo is married with three children is a breadwinner and can only afford a fine of R100 000. He said Sithole is not married but has two minor children. The Isuzu truck and 141 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes were forfeited to the state and the accused were also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” she said. In aggravation, the state advocate Phumudzo Mudau argued that the accused have been convicted of serious offences. “They are not remorseful and the state has a watertight case against them. The value of illicit cigarettes is high and a serious message should be sent to potential offenders by imposing a harsh sentence.”
He said that the trade in illicit cigarettes destroys the local economy and contributes to the shedding of jobs. “These activities also rob the country of much-needed revenue that enables the government to deliver basic services to the poor and vulnerable.” He further said that legitimate dealers and manufacturers of cigarettes also lose money. The director of public prosecutions, Adv Ivy Thenga, has applauded the good work of Mudau, SARS, and the police Limpopo Flying Squad and welcomed the hefty sentences.
