WELKOM – Police have seized illicit cigarettes estimated to be worth R6.2 million during an operation in Jim Fouchè Park, Welkom.

The operation was conducted by members of the South African Police Service’s Welkom K9 Unit on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, following information about a consignment of suspected illicit cigarettes allegedly being transported to a house in the area.

Police acted on the information and proceeded to the identified property, where they gained entry and discovered a large quantity of boxes containing suspected illicit cigarettes.

Preliminary investigations confirmed that the cigarettes were counterfeit.

Police seized the consignment, which is estimated to have a value of R6.2 million.

A 57-year-old foreign national was arrested in connection with the seizure and is expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court soon.

The arrest forms part of ongoing police operations aimed at disrupting the trade and distribution of counterfeit and illicit goods through the enforcement of the Counterfeit Goods Act.

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