4 NABBED SMUGGLING CIGARETTES INTO SA

HLUTI – Four male locals were on Monday allegedly caught trying to smuggle cigarettes into South Africa.

The four were intercepted by security officers protecting the borderline separating the country with South Africa, south of the hamlet of Hluti in the Shiselweni Region.
The quartet had attempted to leave the country through an informal crossing in the area.
It is understood that the large quantity of cigarettes were intended for resale in the neighbouring

country, where a black market has reportedly sprung up as a response to the suspension of the sale of certain products.
The cigarettes were confiscated by police from Hluti, where the four suspects were simultaneously detained.
Criminal proceedings were expected to be initiated at the Nhlangano Magistrates Court, under the new laws meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Confirmed

The arrest of the four males was confirmed by Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, when contacted yesterday.
“Yes, we have four suspects who are aged between 20 and 29. They are expected to make an appearance in court soon,” she said.
Despite liftingthe suspension on the sale of alcohol, the neighbouring country has continued to prohibit the sale of tobacco, opening up business opportunities for enterprising locals willing to take the risk to supply bootleggers on the other side of the fence.
The illicit traders reportedly buy the cigarettes in bulk from local retailers before making the journey to the neighbouring country through informal crossings. This has resulted in stocks dwindling from local traders, and gradually making it difficult for local smokers to indulge in their favourite past time.

The situation has also driven up prices locally. Retailers have reported a recent surge in the demand for cigarettes, while it is increasingly getting hard for them to replenish their stock. Retailers who still have stock on their shelves, on the other hand, have decided to inflate prices, with some selling cigarette units at almost double the usual retail price.

Resale

Those buying for resale in the black market are clearly making a lot of money because there is a huge demand, as explained by some of those involved in the trade.
Authorities have also confirmed a sharp rise in the smuggling into that country of products currently unavailable such as tobacco.
At the same time, it appears like the lockdown regulations in place both locally and in the neighbouring country have not deterred dagga smugglers.

Security officers manning the borderline reported numerous successful dagga busts. The dagga was either intercepted at the country’s ports of entry or along the borderlines, where the smugglers attempt to cross with it to the other side of the fence.
Just recently, dagga with a mass of 108kg and an estimated street value of E320 000 was found by soldiers patrolling the borderline around Mshololo, while police officers were able to sniff out dagga valued at around E100 000 from two trucks at the Mahamba Border Gate, which were destined to separate locations in the neighbouring country.

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