WELKOM – A 35-year-old foreign national has been arrested after members of the Welkom K9 Unit seized illicit cigarettes valued at an estimated R1.2 million during a crime prevention operation on the R30.

According to police, the arrest took place at about 09:10 on Thursday, 6 August, while officers were conducting crime-combating patrols on the R30 between Welkom and Odendaalsrus.

Police noticed a suspicious white Toyota minibus travelling along the route and stopped the vehicle for inspection. After obtaining permission to search the vehicle, officers discovered 89 master crates containing suspected illicit cigarettes.

Preliminary investigations confirmed that the cigarettes were counterfeit.

The entire consignment, with an estimated street value of R1.2 million, was confiscated along with the Toyota minibus, which is believed to have been used in the commission of the offence.

The suspect was arrested on charges of possession of suspected counterfeit goods and for allegedly contravening the Immigration Act.

He is expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court soon, where the matter will proceed.

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