LENGTHY SENTENCE FOR ZIMBABWEAN NATIONAL CONVICTED OF POSSESSION AND TRANSPORTING ILLICIT CIGARETTES
POLOKWANE: A Zimbabwean national, Sidalokuhle Ncube (45), has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for possession and transporting illicit cigarettes.
On 30 June 2024, police officers stopped a suspicious silver Toyota Corolla with Gauteng registration numbers on the R81 near a filling station. A search revealed 85 cartoons of Remington Gold cigarettes, and Ncube was arrested. The vehicle and cigarettes were confiscated, and a case docket was opened at SAPS Sebayeng near Mankweng.
The Limpopo Provincial Organized Crime Investigation Unit took over the investigation, leading to Ncube’s conviction at the Polokwane Regional Court for:
- Contravening the South African Revenue Service Act, Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act, and Customs and Excise Act
- Possession of illicit cigarettes (5-year imprisonment)
- Contravening the Immigration Act (2-year imprisonment)
The accused was further declared unfit to possess a firearm
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentencing, stating it would serve as a deterrent to other criminals involved in smuggling syndicates.
