South Africa: Pair arrested over R300 000 illicit cigarette haul

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:43 pm

Two people will appear before the Senwabarwana Magistrate’s Court, about 90km km northwest of the city Polokwane in Limpopo, on Monday 22 June in connection with possession of illegal cigarettes worth an estimated R307 000.

The pair, aged 29 and 35, was arrested on Friday 19 June while transporting the cigarettes in the Alldays policing area outside Makhado.

According to a media statement from SAPS, police officers were conducting routine patrol duties at around 10pm when they spotted a suspicious motor vehicle within the Alldays CBD area.

ILLICIT TRADE IS ALL ABOUT SUPPLY AND DEMAND

According to Johann van Loggerenberg, former SA Revenue Services executive and author of the book The Tobacco Wars, the trade in illicit cigarettes is a simple supply and demand issue.

“When six to eight million people want something (they’ll get it) even if the legitimate suppliers have been shut down,” he said in post on his Facebook page.

(TheSouthAfrican)