A Nigerian man was arrested on Friday morning after allegedly being found leaving a house in Amatungula Street in Esther Park where a delivery of boxes of stolen cigarettes worth about R400 000 had been made.
This was the second huge stolen cigarette bust in Kempton Park this week. On Tuesday a eight suspects were arrested at a house on Kweper Street.
The total value of the cigarettes seized is nearly R700 000.
Another BAT truck hijack was foiled in Roodepoort on Thursday.
The arrest this morning was made at 11.15am.
According to Sebenza SAPS spokesman, Const Sharon Tsotsotso, the cigarettes were taken from a British American Tobacco (BAT) truck that was hijacked in Diepsloot the same morning.
Photographs of the crime scene
The driver of the BAT truck was allegedly kidnapped outside Diepsloot Police Station while awaiting security guard escorts to assist in delivering the merchandise.
He was forced to drive to the house in Esther Park and was later dropped off in Pretoria.
“EMPD officers received a tip off that a Hyundai H1 was transporting stolen cigarettes and would be making a drop off in Esther Park. Sebenza officers were patrolling in the area when they spotted the described vehicle and stopped the driver for questioning,” explained Tsotsotso.
Tsotsotso said the Nigerian suspect claimed he was picking up his brother’s girlfriend. Police took him back to the house they had seen him leaving from and upon searching the garage, found the stolen goods.
Metro police arrived on the scene shortly after the discovery.
The H1 vehicle will be confiscated for further investigations and to ensure it is not linked to other crimes.
According to Tsotsotso the incident is linked to an organised crime syndicate and further details cannot be divulged pending investigations.
