Petrol tanker smoked out
2003-02-17 08:15
Johannesburg - A 10-ton petrol tanker packed full of cigarettes was found in Boksburg on Sunday night and four foreigners were arrested, East Rand police said.
Superintendent Andy Pieke said police received information about 21:00 on Sunday night that the tanker was being off-loaded at a warehouse complex in Boksburg north.
Upon investigation, police found the empty tanker packed full of Remington Gold cigarettes in cartons. Four men - two Zimbabweans and two Mozambicans - were arrested.
Pieke said it was suspected that the cigarettes were being smuggled into South Africa from Mozambique in the tanker to avoid paying import costs. The particular brand of cigarettes are manufactured in Mozambique. The value of the consignment cigarettes could not be exactly determined, but Pieke said it was estimated to be about R2m.
The tanker is registered to a South African company.
The men were expected to appear in the Boksburg magistrate's court on Tuesday.
- SAPA