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Victor Maphosa-Herald Reporter
CIGARETTES worth R3 450 500 that were in the process of being smuggled into South Africa were recovered by the police in Beitbridge as the fight against smuggling intensifies.
The suspects, fled and left the cigarettes after being cornered by the police.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident and warned the public against smuggling.
“Police in Beitbridge recovered 40 boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes valued at R3 450 500 from a group of suspects who were in the process of smuggling the contraband to South Africa and fled upon sight of the law enforcement agents,” he said.
In a related case, about 39 bales of second hand clothes were recovered recently in Mutare after they were abandoned by some suspects who had smuggled them from Mozambique.
The suspects had allegedly smuggled them from Mozambique had to abandon their bales after they saw the security personnel.
“Police in Mutare recovered 39 bales of second-hand clothes valued at approximately $497 250, which were abandoned by smugglers who had entered through the Mozambican side and fled leaving the contraband upon sight of the security personnel.”
Smuggling has become rife in most of the country’s entry and exit points, with the police and other security personnel now stepping up the fight to curb the illegal activity which has been milking the country of millions in revenue.
Recently, The Herald exposed a cartel smuggling fuel and second-hand clothes into the country which has become so powerful and daring to the extent of hiring earth-moving equipment to clear and periodically repair gravel roads connecting into Mozambique through undesignated points without the local authorities’ involvement.
Fuel tankers and other heavy trucks laden with clothing bales cross into Zimbabwe from Mozambique, at times, in broad daylight in full view of police and other security officers manning the illegal crossing points.
The cartels have become so powerful that they monopolise the illegal routes and reportedly bribe security officers deployed at the borders.
At times when some sacrificial lambs are arrested, presumably as a cover up measure, the investigators just scratch on the surface and prosecute only truck drivers and some agents, without digging deeper to establish the truck owners and their interests in the deals.
A check with some court records shows that the truck owners are not even mentioned in the papers and in some cases, business addresses are deliberately left out.
Such half-baked investigations that target small fish result in drivers and other agents getting paltry fines at the end of the case.
A few days later, the truck owners successfully seek release of their vehicles that would have been held as exhibits.
When the vehicles are released, smuggling continues unabated.
Online Reporter