Cigarette smugglers get hefty sentences in Giyani court
Five men were sentenced in Giyani for dealing in illicit cigarettes, with vehicles forfeited and all offenders declared unfit to possess firearms.
LIMPOPO – The Giyani Commercial Crime Court sentenced five men for dealing in illicit cigarettes in two separate cases recently.
In the first case, the court sentenced Khomborarei Runyare (36) to five years imprisonment or a R200 000 fine and was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The second man, Kaba Duda (39), was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment or a R300 000 fine and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The sentences come after the men were found driving a 4-ton truck with a false compartment containing illicit cigarettes valued at R351 000 on April 24. The truck was forfeited to the State.
In a separate case, the court sentenced three accused for dealing in illicit cigarettes and declared all of them unfit to possess a firearm. Arthur Nhlanhla Billy (aka Sefelane) was sentenced to five years imprisonment or a R50 000 fine.
Tafirei Chineka (30) was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment or a R20 000 fine, and Sheppard Ndlovu (39) was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment or a R20 000 fine. Ndlovu received an additional one-year sentence or a R5 000 fine for being an illegal immigrant and will be deported after serving his sentence.
The accused were arrested near Hoedspruit on April 24 in a bakkie carrying illicit cigarettes valued at R36 000. The vehicle was forfeited to the State.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe praised the officers for their dedication, saying their diligent work ensured that the accused were brought to book and received harsher prison terms.
