British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) says it is concerned about an increase in armed robberies of its products and the rise of organised crime in the illicit trade of cigarettes.
BATSA General Manager, Johnny Moloto, says they
have observed a spike in robberies since the lifting of the lockdown ban on
tobacco sales last year.
"This alarming increase in criminals
targeting our products should be of major concern to the authorities.
“In Q1 2020, armed robbers stole 1,195 cartons
per month (239,000 individual cigarettes) of our products. We, obviously, had
no robberies during the tobacco sales ban as we were not transporting products.
When the ban was lifted, on a monthly average 2,845 cartons of cigarettes
(569,000 individual cigarettes) were stolen during armed attacks on our distribution
vehicles. And this, although we have increased security measures.’’ He added.
Moloto says in February 2020, the last full
month before the lockdown ban, there were four robberies.
"In September, the first full month after
the ban was lifted, there were 12, a four-fold increase.’’
‘’The lockdown sales ban led to an explosion in
the illicit trade and the increased involvement of organised crime syndicates,”
he said.
Moloto is concerned that the ban also
normalised the purchase of illicit cigarettes by South Africa’s 11 million
smokers.
“Since the ban, we have seen a dramatic growth
in the sale of illicit cigarettes in mainstream outlets, which can also be
attributed to the economic hardship being suffered by South Africans,"
adds Moloto.
He says the police have been notified of all
incidents.
‘’As is required by law in South Africa, all
robberies against BATSA are reported to SAPS with the aim of achieving arrests
of criminals targeting our business, as well as recovering stock and preventing
it from entering the illicit supply chain.’’
Moloto has called for cigarette manufacturers
to comply with COVID-19 regulations.
Done By: Mitchum George
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