A 48-year-old man has been arrested in North West for allegedly smuggling illicit cigarettes worth more than R4 million into the country – the second time he has been nabbed for a similar offence.
A total of 152 boxes of cigarettes were allegedly found in Levy Katebe’s possession. He appeared at the Zeerust Magistrate's Court yesterday, said Hawks provincial spokesperson Tlangelani Rikhotso.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on Wednesday for a formal bail application.
Katebe had entered South Africa from Zambia via Botswana with a Gauteng-registered truck and was arrested at the Kopfontein port of entry near Zeerust, said Rikhotso.
Katebe is due to appear for a similar offence in the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo next month.
On Monday, Limpopo police also arrested two foreign nationals, aged 36 and 44, at the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe for allegedly smuggling illicit cigarettes worth nearly R7 million.
IOL