Free State police seize R6.2 million in suspected counterfeit cigarettes, suspect arrested

Police in the Free State province have seized a consignment of suspected counterfeit cigarettes worth approximately R6.2 million during an intelligence-driven operation in Welkom, South Africa. The arrest was made on Tuesday, August 18, by officers from the Welkom K9 Unit. The suspect, a 57-year-old foreign national man, was apprehended after police received information about a shipment of illicit cigarettes being transported to a house in Welkom.

Following the lead, police searched a residence located in Jim Fouché Park and discovered a large number of boxes containing suspected counterfeit cigarettes. Preliminary investigations confirmed the cigarettes' authenticity as fraudulent. The estimated value of the seized cigarettes is R6.2 million. Police are set to bring the suspect before the Welkom Magistrate's Court soon.

This incident follows a similar operation in Boshof, where police seized cigarettes worth around R3.6 million and arrested three men a month prior. The Boshof operation was carried out by the Bloemfontein K9 Unit and Provincial Crime Intelligence officers after receiving information about the distribution of illegal goods. The information was acted upon on Friday, leading to the search of suspected cigarette dealers in the Boshof Central Business District.

During that operation, police found illicit cigarettes hidden under a bed in a supermarket and more boxes in a warehouse on Voortrekker Street. Three men, aged 22, 44, and 56, were arrested for possession of counterfeit cigarettes and also charged under the Immigration Act. They also faced additional charges for the seizure of 339 boxes of cigarettes and over 15,000 loose cigarette packets.