TWO Durban policemen have been arrested after they were caught ‘escorting’ a consignment of illegal cigarettes on the N2.
SAPS spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker on Friday said in a statement the officers work at the Vehicle Identification Unit in Isipingo.
‘In the early hours of Friday morning, SAPS members at Hluhluwe were conducting a roadblock on the N2 when they attempted to stop two vehicles,’ said Brig Naicker.
‘After the vehicles refused to stop, the officers contacted the Mtubatuba SAPS to alert them.’
Mtuba police successfully brought both vehicles, a Toyota Hilux and a Toyota Etios hatchback, to a stop. A search revealed 36 boxes of counterfeit cigarettes with an approximate value of R180 000 in the Hilux.
‘Two suspects aged 41 and 43 were arrested for being in possession of the counterfeit goods,’ Naicker said.
‘Police then discovered that the Toyota Etios was an unmarked police vehicle and the occupants were policemen who were escorting the Hilux.’
All four suspects will appear in the Mtubatuba Magistrate’s Court for being in possession of counterfeit goods, corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
In 2014 a Richards Bay policeman was arrested in KwaMbonambi for being in possession of 70 000 illegal cigarettes to the value of R100 000 inside a police van.
‘These arrests are once again a clear indication that SAPS members in this province are committed to rooting out all forms of crime and corruption and this should serve as a warning to others that we will leave no stone unturned and ensure that the law will take its course irrespective of who you are,’ said Acting Provincial Commissioner for KZN, Major General Bheki Langa.
‘While the criminal investigation is underway, disciplinary steps will be instituted against the two police officers.
‘We will not tolerate criminals within the organisation and remain committed to rooting out all criminal elements within the province,’ Langa concluded.
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