Sasolburg Highway Patrol makes major illicit cigarette bust

SASOLBURG - The Sasolburg Highway Patrol has arrested two men in Viljoensdrif for possession of illicit cigarettes valued at over R3.1-million. The arrests occurred on Thursday, 14 August 2025, at around 10:30 during a vehicle checkpoint on the R82 near Country Butchery. The suspects, aged 19 and 44, were apprehended after police found 400 boxes of illicit cigarettes hidden behind boxes of cooking oil in a white truck with Lesotho registration plates. This seizure was part of Operation Shanela II, a week-long Free State crackdown aimed at dismantling criminal networks, seizing illegal substances, and improving road safety.