adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge bureau
A BEITBRIDGE man has been fined $8,000 for illegal possession of 140 export quality cigarettes worth $29,000. Police detectives recovered the contraband at Edmore Muleya’s homestead in Lesanth resettlement area in transit to South Africa through an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River.
Muleya, 40, was convicted on his own plea of guilty to contravening a section of the Customs and Excise Act (unlawful possession of goods liable to excise duty or surtax) when he appeared before Magistrate Gwineth Drawo on Wednesday.
The 140 boxes of cigarettes were forfeited to State.
In the event Muleya fails to pay the fine he will be jailed for 12 months.
Prosecutor, Llyod Mupfungidza said on February 22 this year police detectives from the border control and minerals unit and Zimra officials acting on a tip off, raided Muleya’s homestead some 60km along the Beitbridge-Masvingo Road.
They recovered 107 boxes of Chelsea and 33 boxes of Servilles cigarettes worth $29,815.
Drawo said Muleya failed to produce a licence or documents authorising him to deal with export quality cigarettes.
He also could not produce receipts of paid surtax or excise duty to Zimra and was subsequently arrested.
The cigarettes were in turn seized by Zimra.
It is understood the South African Revenue Services (SARS) charges high rates on cigarettes imports which has resulted in a marked increase in cases of smuggling between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Investigations have revealed that most of these cigarettes are repackaged when they get to South Africa before being shipped to either Europe or Asia.
A box of cigarettes is sold for an average of $100 on the official market in Zimbabwe and R2,500 in South Africa.
A report by SARS last year indicated that Beitbridge border post accounts for 70 percent of the contraband in the neighbouring country.
Online Reporter