A 36-year-old Malawian national is in hands of police in Botswana after he was caught with 84 boxes containing 4200 cartons of Chele Chele cigarette worth about K7.8 million.
This is according to a Botswana Police Service statement released on Tuesday, signed by their country’s police public relations officer, Assistant Commissioner D.H. Motube.
Motube said the man who was not named, got arrested on Monday April 13 at Kopong while in possession of the said cigarettes suspected to have been smuggled from Zimbabwe..
The statement further indicates that the estimated cost value of the tobacco is at P126, 000 (about K7.8 million)
The Botswana Police have described the development as a serious social indiscipline happening in an era where sale of tobacco is prohibited to create an environment conducive to wage war against Coronavirus pandemic.
The Assistant Commissioner then called all the Botswana nationals to report anyone selling tobacco which he said may frustrate government in its effort to combating the pandemic.
He said the police will release more information on the development in due course claiming investigations are still underway.
