Durban man handed two-year sentence for concealing R1.9m at airport
A Durban man has been sentenced to an effective two years in prison after pleading guilty to concealing over R1.9 million in his luggage en route to Dubai.
The Hawks say 26-year-old Sheik Zakkariyya was sentenced at the Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday after his arrest at the city’s airport in 2018.
SARS custom officials discovered $156 850 in cash, equivalent to R1.9 million, concealed in white envelopes inside his luggage.
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Officials say Zakkariyya was initially charged for contravention of the Customs and Excise Act.
However, he entered into a plea agreement sentence with the state and was subsequently found guilty of contravening exchange control regulations.
He was sentenced to six years imprisonment, of which four were suspended for five years on condition that he not be convicted of the same offence during the period of his suspension.
Officials say he will effectively serve a two-year sentence.
