The Welkom K9 Unit have arrested a 35-year-old foreign national after illicit cigarettes were found in a vehicle he was travelling in.
On Thursday, 6 August 2026 at approximately 09:10 members attached to the Welkom K9 Unit were conducting crime combating duties on the R30 road. They spotted a suspicious white Toyota Minibus travelling between Welkom and Odendaalsrus.
The vehicle was intercepted and permission to search was requested. Upon searching the vehicle, police found crates containing suspected counterfeit goods.
Preliminary investigations were conducted and the cigarettes were confirmed to be counterfeit.
Police confiscated the eighty nine master crates containing illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of R1.2 million and the vehicle alleged to be used during the commission of the crime.
The alleged suspect was arrested for possession of suspected counterfeit goods and contravention of the immigration act.
He is expected to appear before the Welkom Magistrate’s Court soon. #StopIllicitTrade
