Vehicle used to transport illicit smokes during lockdown forfeited
A car allegedly used to transport illicit cigarettes during lockdown has been forfeited to the state.
The National Prosecution Authority's Asset Forfeiture Unit in KwaZulu-Natal was granted the order for the Toyota Fortuner this week.
The vehicle belongs to Ethiopian businessman Binyam Lonesako.
The NPA says in March 2020, off-duty police officer Moosa Shawe was driving the bakkie when he was stopped at a routine stop-and-search police operation.
He identified himself as a police officer and allowed them to search the vehicle.
The NPA's Natasha Kara says the vehicle contained 10 boxes containing packs of cigarettes, which had an estimated value of R190 000.
"The cigarettes were examined by a representative from a cigarette dealing company and found to be illegal goods of poor quality and incorrect packaging," Kara says.
She says since it was the national lockdown period, the officer was charged with Contravention of the Disaster Management Act.
She says when questioned about the cigarettes, the officer said he was asked by his friend, Lonesako, to drive from Margate to the Emanguzi area to fetch some items and return them to Margate.
"Due to the pending finalisation of investigations, the charges against Shawe were provisionally withdrawn. However, the state was able to obtain the forfeiture order in respect of the bakkie. The bakkie which has an estimated value of approximately R115 000, will be sold and the monies deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account for use in law enforcement and crime-fighting initiatives."
