In a determined move against smuggling, customs officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) last week Tuesday destroyed 796 700 illegal cigarettes that were seized at the Beit Bridge border post.

This was announced by the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa (TISA) in a press release.

According to TISA, this follows the destruction of 40 400 000 illegal cigarettes in Gauteng, the Free State and the Western Cape during April this year.

“Around 80% of the illegal cigarettes coming into South Africa are from across the border in Zimbabwe. Unscrupulous smugglers have broadened their routes to be able to smuggle cigarettes illegally onto the market. These products unfortunately often end up in the South African market, contributing to the almost R4 billion loss in government revenue annually,” says Mr Francois van der Merwe, CEO and chairman of TISA.

Van der Merwe says the destruction is evidence of the integrated effort from law enforcement authorities to shut down the supply chain of smugglers. TISA conducts the destruction of illicit cigarettes on behalf of SARS by means of custom-built mechanical shredders that break up the illicit product into fine pieces. These shreddings are then ploughed into landfill sites and farmlands. All destruction takes place under the supervision of SARS officials.

“We believe this partnership is the only way to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products successfully,” says Van der Merwe.

The destruction of illegal cigarettes is part of a larger plan to clear and destroy all seized illicit tobacco products from state warehouses during 2012.