The South African Police Service (SAPS) has seized illicit cigarettes worth an estimated R3.6 million and arrested three men during an intelligence-led operation in Boshof.
Members of the Bloemfontein K9 Unit and the Free State Provincial Crime Intelligence Unit carried out the operation on Friday 10 July after receiving information the previous day about the distribution of illicit goods.
The operation first led SAPS members to a supermarket in the Boshof central business district, where a search uncovered boxes of suspected counterfeit cigarettes hidden beneath a bed. The team then proceeded to a warehouse in Voortrekker Street.
According to SAPS, members encountered resistance before gaining entry to the warehouse, where they found more boxes of suspected counterfeit cigarettes.
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Join our WhatsApp channelThree men, aged 22, 44 and 56, were arrested. They face charges of possessing counterfeit cigarettes and contravening the Immigration Act.
SAPS seized 339 boxes of cigarettes and more than 15,000 loose cigarette packets during the operation. The cigarettes have an estimated value of R3.6 million.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Boshof Magistrate’s Court on Monday 13 July.
