Horse trailer used to smuggle £50,000 of cigarettes
More than £50,000 worth of illicit cigarettes have been found hidden inside a horse trailer.
The discovery was made by a South African Revenue Services (SARS) official at South Africa’s Beitbridge border with Zimbabwe on 28 September.
An officer was inspecting the trucks parked at the border post at about 2am when he found a lorry with a horse in the trailer.
The truck driver did not have a permit for the horse and was parked there overnight.
The officer became suspicious and decided to do a thorough search.
He reportedly banged under the bottom of the trailer, which made an unusual sound.
He then climbed into the trailer and discovered carpets hiding planks. These planks were covering a hole that contained several boxes of illicit cigarettes.
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After this discovery, the officer checked the roof of the trailer and found that the levels inside and outside did not match.
The roof was then cut open and a false compartment filled with more illicit cigarettes was found.
In total, 105 cartons of cigarettes with a street value of R1,093,071 (£51,637) were confiscated by authorities.
More cigarettes were also found at the country’s Lembobo border with Mozambique on 29 September, hidden in the undercarriage of a taxi.
During a random search of vehicles at the main import gate, customs officials found 100 cartons of cigarettes wrapped in bags and strapped to the bottom of the taxi.
They also discovered 320 pairs of undeclared All Star trainers hidden under the vehicle.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.