The police in Kakamas confiscated illicit cigarettes worth over R8 million while conducting crime-prevention patrols. The cigarettes were found in a suspicious-looking truck at a fuel station.
THE POLICE in Kakamas confiscated illicit cigarettes worth over R8 million while conducting crime-prevention patrols.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the SAPS members discovered the illicit cigarettes in a suspicious-looking truck at a petrol station.
“The police members were conducting routine crime-prevention patrols in Kakamas on Monday, April 8, 2024, and spotted a suspicious-looking truck at a fuel station. They requested permission to search the truck. The members found cartons of Sahawi and Chief cigarettes, valued at about R8.4 million, on board the truck,” said Sam.
“The police opened an inquiry case docket and served the driver of the truck with notices to provide the original documentation for the purchase of the goods. The police confiscated the cigarettes and the truck.”
Sam added that the public is urged to contact the police with regards to any traders who sell suspected illicit products.
“The public is requested to report any traders suspected of failing to comply with the Customs and Excise Act by trading in illicit cigarettes and tobacco products, to the police.”
The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, commended the vigilant police members and reiterated that the police would continue to enforce the laws of the country.
She also encouraged the public to participate in the “Rate Our Service” online survey to assist the police in improving its service.
