News / Regional
Dealer found with US$500 000 worth of cigarettes
19 Nov 2012 at 05:13hrs | Views
A cigarette dealer, who was arrested in possession of contraband worth over US$500 000 here, has been fined R20 000.
Langton Ribombo (27) was charged with illegal possession of 107 boxes of Remmington Gold cigarettes which he intended to smuggle into South Africa.
Ribombo also risks imprisonment for 10 months if he fails to pay the fine.
He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to the charge when he appeared before Beitbridge resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.
His co-accused Mellessina Nguluvhe (50), a local businesswoman, had charges against her withdrawn after plea and was thus fully acquitted.
The prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against her.
On November 1, police received a tip-off that there were boxes of cigarettes hidden at a homestead in Lutumba village.
Police Border Control Unit teamed up with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials and raided the homestead.
They recovered 107 boxes of cigarettes hidden in one of the huts.
Investigations led to the arrest of Ribombo and Nguluvhe. It was also established during investigations that no excise duty had been paid for the cigarettes.
The contraband was seized. The State stood to lose US$12 440,71 in revenue.
Meanwhile, police are still pursuing the other suspects who are linked to the US$500 000 contraband, which they recovered in Tshapfuche area on the same day.
A total of 1 081 boxes of cigarettes were recovered at one homestead in the area during an operation dubbed Ibvani Madini (Get out of the Limpopo River).
Langton Ribombo (27) was charged with illegal possession of 107 boxes of Remmington Gold cigarettes which he intended to smuggle into South Africa.
Ribombo also risks imprisonment for 10 months if he fails to pay the fine.
He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to the charge when he appeared before Beitbridge resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.
His co-accused Mellessina Nguluvhe (50), a local businesswoman, had charges against her withdrawn after plea and was thus fully acquitted.
The prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against her.
Police Border Control Unit teamed up with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials and raided the homestead.
They recovered 107 boxes of cigarettes hidden in one of the huts.
Investigations led to the arrest of Ribombo and Nguluvhe. It was also established during investigations that no excise duty had been paid for the cigarettes.
The contraband was seized. The State stood to lose US$12 440,71 in revenue.
Meanwhile, police are still pursuing the other suspects who are linked to the US$500 000 contraband, which they recovered in Tshapfuche area on the same day.
A total of 1 081 boxes of cigarettes were recovered at one homestead in the area during an operation dubbed Ibvani Madini (Get out of the Limpopo River).
Source - TH
