PAY FINE OR FIVE YEARS DIRECT IMPRISONMENT FOR ILLICIT CIGARETTES
The Giyani Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has convicted and sentenced, Jameson Singo (46), to five years of direct imprisonment or a fine of R250 000 for possession of illicit cigarettes. The accused pleaded guilty and stated that on 19 April 2023, the Musina police officers were on patrol when they spotted an SUV parked in Matshwale township.
They then went to inspect it and found boxes packed inside the vehicle. The police enquired about the owner of the vehicle and the accused confirmed that he is the owner. He was requested to open the vehicle to be searched, and police then found 39 boxes of Remington Gold, 21 cartons, and four loose sticks of Remington Gold cigarettes valued at over R500 000.
In aggravation of the sentence, the state Adv. Sewela Mphasha submitted that the offence is serious, and also prevalent in the court’s area of jurisdiction. She said that this is an offence that is against the whole country, as South African citizens depend on the money paid for taxes and duties, for infrastructure to be provided. She further said that this puts companies that are producing legit cigarettes at a disadvantage position, as people will prefer buying these illegal cigarettes as they are cheaper. The court agreed with the state that the accused took responsibility for his action.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Adv. Ivy Thenga applauds the good work done by Adv. Mphasha, SARS, and Sergeant Mbedzi of Musina police station. We hope that offenders of such crimes will learn from the sentence.
