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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
FOUR Zimbabweans were on Friday arrested at Mphephu in South Africa’s Limpopo province following the interception of their vehicle carrying 650 boxes of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated street value of R500,000. It is suspected that the cigarettes were smuggled from Zimbabwe through undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River.

The arrest of the Zimbabweans followed a tip-off from a member of the public.

Police spokesperson for South Africa’s Vhembe district in Limpopo, Major Mashudu Malelo confirmed the arrests, and added that investigations were still underway.

“I can confirm the arrest of four Zimbabweans. For now I don’t have much detail,” he said.

The suspects are expected to appear in court soon facing smuggling charges.

A police source said it is believed that the quartet operated as a syndicate that also involved South Africans.

Of late there has been an increase  in the number of people being arrested for smuggling cigarettes into South Africa.

It is understood that the South African Revenue Services charges high rates  on cigarette imports which has   resulted in a marked increase in cases of smuggling between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Most of the cigarettes are repackaged in the neighbouring country before being shipped to either Europe or Asia.

A recent statement from South African Police Services said the issue of cigarettes being smuggled from Zimbabwe was being prioritised after it emerged that the country supplied between 55 and 70 percent of the 10 billion cigarettes that were offloaded on the neighbouring country’s black market in 2012.