SANDF soldiers have seized illicit cigarettes valued at close on R1.4 million in two separate cigarette “interceptions” in the past week.
In the first incident, cigarettes conservatively valued at 526-thousand rand were confiscated from smugglers in the vicinity of the Beit Bridge port of entry between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The second interception in the Ndumo area of KwaZulu-Natal netted cigarettes valued at 930-thousand rand.
A Toyota Hilux valued at R90 000 was also seized.
Defence web reports that the seizures again show the ease with which smugglers breach thinly protected borders, and just how high the demand is for black market cigarettes in level three locked down South Africa.
