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SA truck intercepted with cigarettes contraband at border
04 Aug 2024 at 15:20hrs | Views
On Thursday, security agents at Beitbridge intercepted a South African truck smuggling 50 boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes, valued at thousands of dollars.
The contraband was hidden within a shipment of copper cat-hood, transported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to South Africa.
The truck, registered in South Africa, was driven by Valentine Chitauro from Kuwadzana, Harare, who is now assisting police with the investigation.
The cigarettes were discovered during routine searches of the truck, which had only declared copper cat-hood on its customs documents. Both the truck and the seized cigarettes have been confiscated, and investigations are ongoing.
This incident is part of a broader crackdown on smuggling operations at the border, which has led to the arrest of at least five Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials involved in facilitating the illegal transport of chrome concentrate.
Smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossings along the Limpopo River is common, with about 30 percent of South Africa's cigarette market supplied by Zimbabwean brands, including Remington Gold.
The contraband was hidden within a shipment of copper cat-hood, transported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to South Africa.
The truck, registered in South Africa, was driven by Valentine Chitauro from Kuwadzana, Harare, who is now assisting police with the investigation.
This incident is part of a broader crackdown on smuggling operations at the border, which has led to the arrest of at least five Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials involved in facilitating the illegal transport of chrome concentrate.
Smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossings along the Limpopo River is common, with about 30 percent of South Africa's cigarette market supplied by Zimbabwean brands, including Remington Gold.
Source - The Chronicle
