On 20 May 2023, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs Division announced that it had intercepted a truck carrying 440 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes, with an estimated total value of R9 million, which were falsely declared as Cotton Oil Cake.
The customs officer conducting random inspection became suspicious when the value of goods declared on the document and the load on the truck did not match. Upon questioning the driver, the answers provided were inconsistent with the document. He then redirected the truck to the inspection ramp, unpacked the load, and discovered goods hidden under Cotton Oil Cake.
The truck and the goods were detained and booked in the SARS State warehouse. The suspect/driver was arrested and handed over to the SAPS.
