Limpopo cop busted with R100 000 worth of illegal cigarettes in his car
An officer in Limpopo, operating on the wrong side of the law, was arrested when he crashed a car that was transporting his illegal cigarette stash.
A 42-year-old police officer was busted with an almighty consignment of illegal cigarettes this week after he crashed his car into a fence along the R81 near Mooketsi in Limpopo. Both he and his accomplice were arrested, and are set to appear in court on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said the local branch of SAPS had received reports of a sedan that had crashed the car on the evening of Sunday 5 July. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officials found the cop and the 25-year-old passenger in possession of illicit cigarettes.
Limpopo cop arrested with enormous illegal cigarette haul in his car
As local publication Giyani View reports, The suspects are expected to appear before Modjadjiskloof magistrates court on Tuesday 7 July 2020 to face the charges associated with their mega-haul. The sheer scale of this smuggling attempt was laid bare by Limpopo SAPS:
- In total, 933 cartons of illegal cigarettes were discovered in the rear of the car.
- Five loose packets were found in other areas of the vehicle.
- The mega-stash of ciggies is estimated to be worth around R100 000.
Tobacco ban continues to encourage criminal behaviour
Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba is the Limpopo Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service. He has heaped praise on the arresting officers for acting in a professional manner to apprehend on of their colleagues, and Ledwaba has promised a course of ‘harsh action’ for the cop-turned-criminal.
The illegal cigarette trade is booming in South Africa, and for the criminals who don’t get caught, it can be a very lucrative industry indeed. On Monday, we saw SANDF release images of a smuggling operation they had managed to uncover, where illicit ciggies were transported over the Zimbabwe border in water containers. Both suspects in Limpopo are now facing counts of contravening the Disaster Management Act.