A 39-year-old suspect was arrested for possession of illicit cigarettes worth almost R300, 000 after his vehicle was intercepted in Hoedspruit outside Phalaborwa in the early hours of Saturday, 17 February 2024.
Members of the Provincial Visible Task team received information about a gold Toyota Rav-4 with Mpumalanga Province registration number suspected to be loaded with illicit cigarettes. The team operationalised the information, and the vehicle matching the description was spotted along R71 heading to Hoedspruit. Members managed to stop the vehicle along the R40 next to Hoedspruit.
The vehicle was searched, and 728 cartoons of Remington Gold illicit cigarettes with the estimated value of almost R300, 000 were confiscated and the driver was also found in possession of a substantial amount of cash.
The suspect is expected to appear before Hoedspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 19 February 2024, on charges of possession illicit cigarettes.
