A 45-year-old Zimbabwean man has been remanded in custody after police allegedly found about 7,294kg of manufactured tobacco hidden inside an LP gas tanker at the Groblersbrug Port of Entry.
SAPS Border Policing officers arrested him on Monday, 24 August, after stopping the Volvo truck and tanker as they entered South Africa.
The driver reportedly told police the trailer was carrying gas. During the inspection, officers allegedly found a concealed hatch beneath the trailer. They then discovered 521 plastic bags containing suspected tobacco.
The truck and tanker, valued at about R1.8 million, were also seized.
The accused appeared in the Phalala Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 26 August. He remains in custody, and the case has been postponed to 31 August for a formal bail application.
Police are still investigating where the tobacco came from, where it was allegedly headed and whether anyone else may be involved
Zimbabwean national arrested after tobacco worth R3.8 million allegedly found in gas tankerhttps://t.co/Im4bUUYygd#ArriveAlive #Smuggling @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/kZdHhcWLLI
– Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 27, 2026
