FOUR southern African countries have joined forces against an international syndicate of smugglers that is costing their formal economies millions of rands every year. Customs officials from Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have agreed to work together to smash the syndicate, which smuggles a range of goods for sale at deflated prices in the four countries. Swaziland’s deputy commissioner of customs, Jaftah Dlamini, said the syndicate was believed to be run by Mozambican, Chinese and Indian nationals. “There is an organised syndicate smuggling goods into these countries and the smuggling is on the increase despite our efforts to combat it,” Dlamini said. The goods smuggled for sale in both registered retail outlets and on the streets included clothes, travelling bags and cigarettes. A series of raid on shops in the four countries uncovered the racket. – African Eye News Service