By Mapaballo Borotho

- Mpumalanga police recovered illicit cigarettes worth nearly R2 million during operations in Nelspruit and White River.
- Two suspects aged 35 and 43 were arrested following a surveillance operation and the execution of a search warrant.
- Authorities say the illicit cigarette trade costs the country significant tax revenue and harms the economy.
Mpumalanga police have recovered illicit cigarettes worth close to R2 million during two separate operations conducted in the province this week.
In the first incident, two foreign nationals aged 35 and 43 were arrested in Nelspruit on Friday, 5 June 2026, after police allegedly found 50 master cases of illicit cigarettes valued at more than R500,000.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Magonseni Nkosi, the arrests followed a lengthy surveillance operation after information was received about suspected illegal activities at a storage facility in White River.
“Police obtained a search warrant for the facility and waited for the opportune moment to act after a delivery had been made,” said Nkosi.
He added that the illicit cigarette trade continues to deprive the country of much-needed revenue while negatively affecting legitimate businesses and the broader economy.
“Those involved make substantial profits without paying taxes, while the illicit cigarette trade adversely affects the livelihoods of South Africans,” he said.
Further investigations led police, accompanied by officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs division and the Nelspruit Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), to a storage facility in White River.
During the search, authorities recovered an additional 87 master cases and 45 cartons of illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of more than R1.2 million.
The total value of the recovered illicit cigarettes is estimated at close to R2 million.
The two suspects remain in custody and are expected to appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 8 June 2026.
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