R800K worth of illicit cigarettes seized by police during Newcastle raid

Crime Intelligence Newcastle and Public Order Police Newcastle recently undertook an intelligence-driven operation after information gathered and provided to the teams.

According to Lizzy Arumugam from the Newcastle SAPS Corporate Communications office, a number of ‘unlawful cigarettes’ were seized during the raid in Newcastle.

“A 33-year-old suspect was detained and charged with illegally selling and possessing cigarettes,” confirmed Arumugam.

She said the illicit cigarettes were estimated to be worth R800 000 and information was gathered about the Gauteng-based provider.

“The illicit trade is very rife in South Africa. These smokes are hazardous to your health and cost the country billions of rands in economic losses,” she said.

She concluded by saying that manufacturers, suppliers, and enterprises should all be held to a zero-tolerance policy.