South African police have seized seven inflatable boats on the Limpopo River bank which they believe have been used to smuggle counterfeit goods between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
TimesLive cited Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba as saying the boats were seized by the border policing team at the Beitbridge port of entry.
During a crackdown by a multidisciplinary team on Tuesday, police also arrested 26 suspects for various offences which include illegal mining, possession of illicit cigarettes and border jumping.
The team impounded mining equipment, including tipper trucks, an excavator, jackhammers, iron bars and shovels.
The suspects are expected to appear in various magistrate’s courts.
The Zimbabwe-South Africa border is porous, allowing smugglers to move goods and people. Smugglers have even constructed makeshift wooden bridges to facilitate their operations.
In other cases, smugglers use inflatable boats to transport contraband items across the Limpopo River.
The goods smuggled include cigarettes, explosives, stolen vehicles and groceries.
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