About R100-million-worth of counterfeit cigarettes were seized by police and port security at the Durban harbour on Thursday.
Head of Durban harbour security and protection services Superintendent Thembakazi Mase said about 4 400 boxes of Chelsea cigarettes were found in four containers and 2 100 boxes of Chicago cigarettes were found in two other containers. Each box contained 50 cartons of cigarettes.
Mase said the cigarettes were seized during an operation based on crime intelligence.
She said the cigarettes were being smuggled into South Africa from the Middle East, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Police said the containments were usually shipped to South Africa, moved to Zimbabwe and then brought back into the country.
Mase said the containment may have been destined for both the South African market and other African countries.
This was the fifth bust of counterfeit goods at the Durban port this year.
”The ship’s crew are being questioned and the matter is under investigation … but no arrests have been made as yet,” said Mase.
”The suspects are unknown, but we suspect that they are businessmen that belong to a syndicate that may also involve South African citizens.”
Police could not disclose the name of the ship that had brought the containment in.
Mase said the containment would be kept at a customs facility while investigations continued. It would not be destroyed until an arrest was made.
Mase said Operation Helix — carried out by 85 policewomen and five policemen — was an effort by policewomen from the Women’s Police Network in conjunction with the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign. — Sapa