Three arrested after police seize illicit cigarettes worth R3.6 million in Free State

Staff Reporter

Police arrested three men and seized cigarettes valued at about R3.6 million during raids on a supermarket and warehouse in the Free State town of Boshof.

SAPS said in a statement on Saturday that the operation was conducted by the Bloemfontein K9 Unit and Provincial Crime Intelligence.

Information was received on Thursday about the distribution of illicit goods, police said, and an operation was conducted on Friday, which resulted in an “extensive blow to the illicit trade of cigarettes”.

Police first searched the supermarket in the Boshof central business district, where boxes containing counterfeit cigarettes were found hidden beneath a bed.

Officers then went to a warehouse in Voortrekker Street, where police said entry was gained “after much resistance from the suspects,” and more boxes of cigarettes were discovered.

Three men, aged 22, 44 and 56, were arrested and are expected to face charges relating to the possession