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A 23-year-old man, who tried to smuggle foreign currency out of the country, has been sentenced to an effective two years behind bars in the Cape Town Regional Court.
Muhammad Zakariyya Sheik Aboo was arrested at the Cape Town International Airport in May of 2018 after officials found American Dollars worth nearly R2 million hidden inside his luggage.
Eric Ntabazalila of the National Prosecuting Authority says Aboo also had to forfeit the $156 850 (US) to the State.
Aboo, who tried to board a flight to Dubai, hid the money in envelopes in his booked-in luggage.
Ntabazalila says Aboo did not have the required permission from Treasury to transport the currency abroad.
He says Aboo was charged with Contravening Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Exchange Control Regulations in that he unlawfully took foreign currency out of the country.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment with four years suspended for 5 years.
