Man jailed 13 years for illicit cigarettes in Limpopo
A 56-year-old foreign national was sentenced to 13 years in prison after police uncovered illicit cigarettes worth R360 000 in Tuinplaas.
LIMPOPO – A 56-year-old foreign national has been sentenced to 13 years’ direct imprisonment by the Polokwane Commercial Crimes Court for possession of illicit cigarettes and contravention of the Immigration Act.
According to police, members of the Provincial Tracking Team received information on February 11 about a white Ford Ranger allegedly transporting illicit cigarettes from Musina to Gauteng.
Police said the vehicle was intercepted along the R516 road in the Tuinplaas policing area.
During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly discovered 36 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes concealed inside boxes.
The driver, identified as Toni Nathaniel Gumbo, was arrested at the scene. Police estimated the street value of the cigarettes at about R360 000.
The court sentenced Gumbo to five years’ direct imprisonment for possession of illicit cigarettes and eight years for contravention of the Immigration Act. The sentences will run consecutively, resulting in an effective 13-year prison term.
The Ford Ranger used in the commission of the crime was also forfeited to the state.
Limpopo provincial commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence and said police would continue efforts to combat illicit trade and related criminal activities in the province.
