The Hawks have arrested a gas tanker driver in Potchefstroom in the North West for allegedly smuggling cigarettes worth more than R7.8 million inside the vehicle.
North West Hawks spokesperson, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, said the 49-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after officers were told that a large consignment of illicit cigarettes was on its way from Buffelshoek in Mpumalanga to Potchefstroom in the gas tanker.
After stopping and searching the tanker, Rikhotso said, the team discovered 482 master cases containing 50 cartons of illicit Chelsea cigarettes.
“Additionally, in a separate compartment, 109 master cases containing 25 cartons were also found. All the cigarettes and the gas tanker truck were seized for further investigation,” Rikhotso added.
He said the man would appear in the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court on Friday for possession of illicit cigarettes and contravention of the Customs and Excise Act.
