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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

 THE Polokwane High Court has granted South Africa’s specialised crime police, the Hawks, a preservation order to hold property worth R4 million they recovered recently from 11 people they found smuggling cigarettes from Zimbabwe.

The Limpopo Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) Assets Forfeiture Unit successfully secured a preservation order worth R379 745-00 against illicit cigarette smugglers on Friday.

This follows the recent interception of five vehicles in the Makhado area, which transported to Johannesburg an assortment of smuggled cigarettes from Zimbabwe.

The Hawks spokesperson for Limpopo province Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke confirmed the development yesterday.

“We now have a preservation order, and are now waiting for a forfeiture order,” he said.

A preservation letter may also be called a preservation order, a litigation hold, or a hold order.

This is a letter instructing the recipient not to destroy, alter, or delete any documents helpful to the sender.

 This letter is critical in today’s world where most documents are electronically stored.

He said on February 8 this year the Limpopo Tracking Team together with Makhado police received intelligence about five luxury vehicles that were transporting illicit cigarettes from Zimbabwe to Johannesburg.

“Five suspicious vehicles (Ford Territory, Nissan Pathfinder, 2 BMW 5 series and an Audi A4) were spotted driving in a convoy on the N1 near Makhado and they were tactically stopped,” said Lt Col Maluleke.

“The vehicles were searched and illicit cigarettes worth R1.7 million believed to be destined for Johannesburg were found and seized.

“About 11 occupants including the drivers and passengers were arrested for smuggling illicit cigarettes.”

He said the vehicles were seized as part of the investigations. The Hawks Assets Forfeiture Unit, he added, was later entrusted with the responsibility of assets investigation until the preservation order of five vehicles was issued by the Polokwane High Court.

The smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River is rife.

 About 30 percent of cigarettes in South Africa are from Zimbabwe including top brands.

Ideally a box of cigarettes is bought at us$120 from local producers and sold for between us$250 and us$300 to the syndicates who then smuggle them into South Africa where they sell for anything above R15 000.

Those that illegally transport the commodity across borders are paid between R100 and R300 per box and in most cases this is done under the cover of darkness. -@tupeyo