LIMPOPO – In a continuous effort to curb the mushrooming of illicit cigarettes trade in the Province, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation assisted by members from Mokopane police station have discovered a clandestine illicit cigarettes warehouse in Mokopane on Wednesday.
The Hawks received a tip-off about a storage facility in Mokopane town where illicit cigarettes were allegedly being stored. The information was swiftly followed up and it led to a discovery of a clandestine cigarette warehouse.
Forty-two (42) boxes containing an assortment of illicit cigarettes including Remington Gold, Royal Express and Pacific Blue to the value of over R700 000-00 were seized. Some of the boxes were found inside a Toyota bakkie parked adjacent to the facility and it was also seized during the arrest.
One suspect aged 27 has been arrested for dealing in illicit cigarettes and he is expected to appear in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. More operations to address the illicit cigarette trade are still going to be conducted.