A 49-year-old man will appear in the Potchefstroom magistrate's court after he was caught allegedly smuggling illicit cigarettes worth more than R7.8m.
The man was arrested on Wednesday by the Hawks' serious commercial crime investigations unit.
According to North West Hawks spokesperson Capt Tlangelani Rikhotso, the team was “following up on information about a large consignment of illicit cigarettes reportedly being transported in a gas tanker truck from Buffelshoek to Potchefstroom.
“The truck was spotted and searched and 482 master cases containing 50 cartons of illicit Chelsea cigarettes were discovered. Additionally, in a separate compartment, 109 master cases containing 25 cartons were also found.
“The cigarettes and the tanker were seized for further investigation.”
Rikhotso confirmed the man will appear in court on Friday on charges of possession of illicit cigarettes and contravention of the Customs and Excise Act.
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