A 49-year-old suspect was arrested by the Hawks on 3 May 2023, in Potchefstroom for smuggling illicit cigarettes worth over R7.8 million. Picture: Supplied
A gas tanker truck driver has been arrested in Potchefstroom, North West, for attempting to smuggle illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of more than R7.8 million.
The 49-year-old man was apprehended by the Hawks‘ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation on Wednesday, following a tip-off about a large shipment of illicit cigarettes being transported in a gas tanker truck from Buffelshoek to Potchefstroom.
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Police spokesperson, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, confirmed that the team acted on the information and intercepted the vehicle, leading to the discovery of the contraband cigarettes.
“The truck was spotted and searched and 482 master cases containing 50 cartons of illicit Chelsea cigarettes were discovered. Additionally, in separate compartment,109 master cases containing 25 cartons were also found,” Rikhotso said in a statement.
Rikhotso added that all the cigarettes and the gas tanker truck were seized for further investigation.
The suspect is expected to make his first appearance before the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court on Friday. He will be facing charges of possession of illicit cigarettes and contravention of the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964.
Meanwhile, police in the Eastern Cape have arrested two suspects in Graaff-Reinet for their alleged involvement in abalone smuggling.
The suspects were detained on Tuesday following a tip-off about a blue Toyota Camry and a Porsche Cayenne that were travelling on the R75 from Kariega towards Graaff-Reinet while pulling a trailer.
Upon investigation, the police discovered that the trailer was loaded with illegal abalone with an estimated street value of over R3 million.
“A total of 75 bags of abalone with 9 398 units, the Porche Cayenne, a trailer and the Toyota Camry were confiscated. The abalone was found inside the trailer and the Porche. The estimated street value of the abalone is R3 300 000,” said police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu in a statement.
The suspects, aged 47 and 51, from Cape Town, were detained on charges of transportation and illegal possession of abalone.
They are expected to appear in the Graaff-Reinet Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
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