Free State police seize R6.2m in suspected counterfeit cigarettes, arrest 57-year-old in Welkom

Free State police arrested a 57-year-old foreign national after seizing suspected counterfeit cigarettes valued at an estimated R6.2 million in Welkom. The arrest followed an intelligence-driven operation led by the Welkom K9 Unit on Tuesday, 18 August.

Operation and discovery

Police received information about a consignment of suspected illicit cigarettes being transported to a house in Welkom.

“Information was operationalised and led police to a house in Jim Fouché Park, Welkom,”

Sergeant Palesa Thabana, a police spokesperson, said.

Officers gained entry to the premises and found a large quantity of boxes containing suspected illicit cigarettes.

“Preliminary investigations were conducted and the cigarettes were confirmed to be counterfeit,”

Thabana said. Police seized the cigarettes, which are estimated to be worth R6.2 million.

Arrest and next steps

A 57-year-old foreign national was arrested during the operation by members of the Welkom K9 Unit. The suspect is expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court soon.

Related enforcement activity

The seizure in Welkom follows an earlier intelligence-driven operation about a month prior in Boshof, where Free State police confiscated illicit cigarettes estimated at R3.6 million and arrested three men.