POLOKWANE – The police’s fight against the illegal trading and smuggling of illicit cigarettes in the province continues to yield positive results. This is evident after the police intercepted a truck transporting millions of rands worth of illicit cigarettes in the city on Tuesday (October 26).
Police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the police received an information about a truck which was transporting a huge consignment of illicit cigarettes from Beitbridge border post to Polokwane.
“A snap operation conducted by members of the Limpopo Provincial Tracking Team and Crime Intelligence Unit was activated and a truck, which fit the description given, was spotted along the R521 Mogwadi/Dendron road at around 18:00.
The members then intercepted the vehicle and the driver of the truck was forced to pull over at the Department of Traffic and Licensing in Ladanna.”
Mojapelo explained that the truck was later escorted to the nearby Polokwane International Airport where it was searched and found with a cargo of over 3 000 boxes of Remington Gold (RG) cigarettes.
“The estimated value of the illegal cigarettes amount to R30 million.” He added that the truck driver, a 52-year-old foreign national was arrested on the scene and will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of smuggling and possession of illicit cigarettes.
Provincial police commissioner Lt Genl Thembi Hadebe commended the members for ‘immediately operationalising the information received’ which led to the arrest of the suspect and confiscation of the illicit cigarettes.
