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Zimbabwean national arrested in South Africa for R2.3 million illicit tobacco smuggling
via The Citizen2 min read
A 49-year-old Zimbabwean national was arrested in the Moletlane policing area of South Africa after police intercepted a truck carrying illicit tobacco valued at R1.5 million. The operation, which also led to the seizure of the R800,000 Nissan truck, followed intelligence that the vehicle was transporting illicit tobacco from Zimbabwe to Gauteng Province. Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba stated that the Provincial Tracking Team, supported by Tshimollo Security and Investigations, stopped and searched the truck on the R518 public road, discovering 333 master boxes of Hookar tobacco. Further investigations revealed the suspect was in South Africa illegally. The combined value of the seized truck and tobacco is R2.3 million. The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Zebediela Periodical court on Monday, June 8, 2026, facing charges under the Customs and Excise Act and the Immigration Act. This arrest follows a recent case where a Limpopo cigarette trafficker, Toni Nathaniel Gumbo, was sentenced to 13 years in jail for similar offenses, a judgment that Tax Justice South Africa TJSA highlighted as a significant step in combating tax crime.
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