BULAWAYO – South African police on Thursday intercepted a contraband of cigarettes worth R426,640 that had been smuggled from Zimbabwe and was being transported to South Africa in a convoy of 10 vehicles.
Only five vehicles were caught while five others escaped the police.
Announcing the seizure, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said officers from the Limpopo Tracking Team and Capricorn highway patrol acted on a tip-off that they had received about 10 vehicles smuggling illicit cigarettes from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
The vehicles were in a convoy on the N1 from Musina driving the direction of Louis Trichardt.
“The suspects sped off and a high-speed chase ensued. Five vehicles were then cornered with the help of members of the Louis Trichardt Farm Watch. The other five managed to evade arrest,” said Mojapelo.
The vehicles which were intercepted were two BMWs, a Ford Territory, a Nissan Pathfinder and an Audi A4. They were found in possession of 31 boxes and 407 packs of illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of R426,640.
All 11 suspects aged between 24 and 43 were found to be undocumented Zimbabwean nationals.
The suspects were scheduled to appear in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate’s Court facing charges of dealing with and possession of illicit cigarettes, the contravention of the Immigration Act, reckless and negligent driving, driving motor vehicles without driving licences and resisting arrest.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old Zimbabwean national is set to appear in court on February 14 after he was allegedly caught entering South Africa at the Beitbridge border post with illicit cigarettes valued at more than R21 million.
