Over R1mil worth of illegal cigarettes confiscated at SA borders

SARS spokesperson Luther Lebelo said the official discovered the large haul of illicit cigarettes “hidden in a trailer carrying a horse at the Beitbridge border post” on Monday.

105 master cartons of illicit cigarettes with a street value of R1,093, 071 were confiscated.

The discovery happened when the official conducted “inspections of trucks parked at the border post at about 2am”.

Lebelo said the “truck driver did not have a permit for the horse, and was parked there overnight”.

“He banged under the bottom of the trailer and became suspicious as the sound was unusual. He then climbed into the trailer and discovered carpets hiding planks. The planks were covering a hole which contained several boxes of illicit cigarettes”.

The officer then checked the trailer’s roof, both inside and outside as the level of the truck’s inner roof was not the same as on the outside.

“The roof was then cut open and a false compartment was found filled with more illicit cigarettes,” said Lebelo.

In a separate bust on Tuesday, officials discovered more cartons of illicit cigarettes at the Lebombo border post underneath a taxi’s undercarriage.

He said, “during a random search of vehicles at the main import gate, Customs officials discovered 100 cartons (20 000 sticks) of cigarettes wrapped in bags and strapped to the bottom of the taxi”.

In addition, 320 pairs of undeclared All Star sneakers were also found, and the driver and goods were handed over to the South African Police Service.

ANA

File photo: Gallo Images