LIMPOPO – The Senwabarwana Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 24 June granted bail to four of the six men arrested last week on charges of possession of illicit cigarettes.
Four men were arrested on Wednesday, 17 June and two were arrested on Friday, 19 June, both in the Alldays Policing area, during separate police operations.
In the first incident, police received information about two trucks transporting tomatoes as well as boxes of cigarettes. A snap operation which comprised police members from Alldays, the Makhado cluster and the Crime Intelligence unit, was then conducted and vehicles, matching the descriptions given, were spotted along the R572 Swartwater road next to the Mogalakwena bridge and ordered to stop.
The trucks were searched and illicit cigarettes worth R403 148 were found hidden between crates of tomatoes, and were confiscated. Both drivers and their crew members were arrested.
They have since appeared in court whereby two were granted bail of R2 500 each, and two were denied bail. All four are expected back in court on Monday, 29 June, says Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe.
On Friday, 19 June the police arrested two men, aged 29 and 35, during a routine night patrol in the Alldays area.
During the arrest the police confiscated illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of R307 441 as well as their vehicle. The court on Wednesday granted them bail of R3 000 each and their cases was postponed to Monday, 29 June for further police investigation.
