Seven men have been arrested at Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu Natal for the illegal possession of counterfeit cigarettes and hair weaves.
A police operation was conducted after intelligence was received about the suspects who were transporting counterfeit goods into the province.
In the video below, SARS estimates that illicit sale of cigarettes costs the economy billions of rands:
KwaZulu-Natal Police Spokesperson Thembeka Mbhele says the men, aged between 20 and 36, were arrested in the town centre.
The suspects were charged for being in possession of counterfeit goods and bribery after one of the men offered police officers R100 000 for their release.
The combined estimated street value of the recovered goods is R990 000.
The suspects have also been charged for contravening the Immigration Act. They are expected to appear in the Mtubatuba Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Cigarette ban under lockdown
British American Tobacco South Africa early in May gave Co-operative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma an ultimatum to amend the regulations that prohibit the sale of tobacco products or face legal action. This after Dlamini-Zuma announced that the ban on the sale of cigarettes would remain during the Level 4 lockdown.
Government maintains a ban on the sale of cigarettes:
Dlamini-Zuma explained at the time that the command council discussed the possible lifting of the ban on cigarettes and decided that it should not be allowed for health reasons.
The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) joined the call for the lifting on the ban of the sale of cigarettes in early May. The organisation also threated government with legal action.
“We are bringing a completely separate application to the one that is being brought by British American Tobacco. I accept that the merits of our cases may be very similar, a lot of issues may overlap. However, it is good to see that many players along the tobacco value chain are not just limited to the two entities, court actions are unified in challenging this ban on the sale of cigarettes,” FITA Chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said.
Both organisations have subsequently abandoned their plans to pursue legal action against the ban on the sale of cigarettes.
FITA explains the decisions to abandon legal action against the ban on the sale of cigarettes:
