A foreign national is expected to appear in the Rouxville Magistrates Court in the Free State after he was found transporting R12 million worth of illicit cigarettes.
The provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli said the driver thought he could fool police officers at a roadblock when he pretended he was resting after a long drive.
Xhariep District members held a roadblock in the Rouxville area, stopping and searching vehicles. One member received intelligence-led information about a truck that made a sudden turn and stopped near one of the petrol garages.
The truck was tactically approached, and the driver, who explained himself as a 42-year-old male, said he was from Gauteng and on his way to the Eastern Cape for a delivery. Members continued to search the truck and under the sails, 400 boxes of illicit cigarettes worth an estimated street value of R12 million were discovered, Kareli said.
The truck driver was immediately arrested and charged with possession of illicit cigarettes. The truck he was travelling in was also confiscated.
