Zimbabwean Jailed 4 years Over Cigarette Deals in SA
When a 27-year-old man from Zimbabwe was discovered in possession of R30 million worth of illegal cigarettes at a farm in Limpopo, he was sentenced to four years in prison in South Africa.
Moses Matembudze, 27, was sentenced on Thursday by the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for possessing illegal cigarettes and breaking the Immigration Act.
In February of last year, he was taken into custody by the Hawks, a special police unit.
A spokesman for the Hawks, Lt Col Matimba Maluleke, verified the information.
He noted that the accused had been found guilty of possessing illegal cigarettes and had been given a four-year term of immediate jail.
Matembudze received an additional term of 12 months in direct custody for his unauthorised entry into the nation.
Additionally, it was decided that the accused was unfit to own a gun.
According to Lt Col Maluleke, “the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation members based in Polokwane received a tip-off about illicit cigarettes that were kept on a farm in Musina in February 2023.”
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“The multidisciplinary sting operation was carried out under the direction of the Hawks with assistance from the South African National Defence Force, Limpopo South African Police Service, and South African Revenue Services.
The team pounced on the accused and found him in possession of 48 master cases of Remington Gold valued at R480 000. The accused was arrested and the operation continued until other boxes of illicit cigarettes worth over R30 million were found hidden on another farm nearby and more suspects were arrested”. X @tupeyo
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