# Big cigarette bust in Centurion



## Dela Rey Steyn (14/4/20)

MAJOR CIGARETTE BUST IN CENTURION BY TSHWANE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS WITH TEN SUSPECTS ARRESTED Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers were doing lockdown patrols in Lyttelton, Centurion on Tuesday, 14 April 2020. They found one male roaming the streets who could not account for being there. He was searched and the TMPD officers found four packets of cigarettes on him. Upon further questioning, he led them to a flat where he bought the cigarettes. Nine people were found at the premises. The place was searched and the officers discovered many boxes of cigarettes. The cigarettes found has an estimated street value of more than R1,5 million. Cash amounting to R325 000 was also seized. All ten people, including the person who was found with the four packets of cigarettes, were arrested for contravening the lockdown rules. One male was also charged with bribery after offering R3 000 to the officers. They will appear in court soon.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1 | Informative 3


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## zadiac (14/4/20)

Well done!

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Adephi (14/4/20)

A friend told me yesterday he had to get cigarettes for his wife. Paid R1000 for a carton and the transaction felt like doing a drug deal.

They must just lift the ban on smokes. Its just wasting police resources that could be used somewhere else.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 6


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## Dela Rey Steyn (14/4/20)

Adephi said:


> A friend told me yesterday he had to get cigarettes for his wife. Paid R1000 for a carton and the transaction felt like doing a drug deal.
> 
> They must just lift the ban on smokes. Its just wasting police resources that could be used somewhere else.



Vark Steaks!!! R100 a packet?!?!? Even if I still smoked I would have given that a skip.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Funny 2


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## M.Adhir (14/4/20)

Adephi said:


> A friend told me yesterday he had to get cigarettes for his wife. Paid R1000 for a carton and the transaction felt like doing a drug deal.
> 
> They must just lift the ban on smokes. Its just wasting police resources that could be used somewhere else.



Yeah 
Going rate in our area is R100 a pack as well.
So R1000 per carton.
Doesn't matter what brand. Price is fixed. 
It's madness. But people are buying cartons and stocking up.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 2


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## Hooked (14/4/20)

Utterly ridiculous!! Have the police got nothing better to do???? They should focus on the break-ins and vanadalism of schools and on abuse of women and children in the home rather. 

And guess who is going to smoke those cigarettes now? Huh! Shame on them!!!

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Can relate 1


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## Hooked (14/4/20)

The ban on cigarettes is incomprehensible. We, who are X-smokers, know what we went through to give up and if someone has run out of cigs that means they're going cold turkey and that in itself could lead to violence. And for what reason? This is what I would like to know. Yes, cigarettes are bad for the lungs, but making someone stop *now* doesn't help. The damage has already been done and the lungs won't heal within a few weeks.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Alex (14/4/20)

See this is what happens when you ban things, it doesn't solve anything.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 7


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## Silver (14/4/20)

Hooked said:


> The ban on cigarettes is incomprehensible. We, who are X-smokers, know what we went through to give up and if someone has run out of cigs that means they're going cold turkey and that in itself could lead to violence. And for what reason? This is what I would like to know. Yes, cigarettes are bad for the lungs, but making someone stop *now* doesn't help. The damage has already been done and the lungs won't heal within a few weeks.



I agree @Hooked 

I was also thinking why on earth they would ban cigarettes
From a health point of view it doesn’t make sense, it takes years for the lungs to repair

Maybe it’s to prevent a lot of movement, ie thousands of people going to the shop just to buy a pack of smokes. I can understand that. So they should make it you have to buy the cigs with your food

Anyhow, it is crazy but let’s see how this rule develops and whether it is relaxed over time

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 3


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## M.Adhir (14/4/20)

Silver said:


> I agree @Hooked
> 
> I was also thinking why on earth they would ban cigarettes
> From a health point of view it doesn’t make sense, it takes years for the lungs to repair
> ...



From what I understand the ban on cigarettes has to do with :
-Smokers are more prone to respiratory ailments
-Additional patients needing ventilators means less ventilators available for serious covid cases (already a major shortage predicted)
-People sharing cigarettes. Easy opportunity for infection to spread. 
-More time spent in shops when buying smokes (a minute longer maybe, but multiply that extra minute of exposure risk by say 5 million smokers? (I don't know how many people smoke so that figure is just a guesstimate based on a survey result I read a few years ago)

Reactions: Like 3


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## Timwis (14/4/20)

This doesn't sit well with me, i wouldn't encourage anyone to break laws etc but the bloke with the 4 packets of cigarettes was breaking the rules anyway and should of kept his mouth shut, nobody likes a grass!

Reactions: Funny 5


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## Adephi (14/4/20)

I found this interview very informative

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1 | Informative 3


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## Timwis (14/4/20)

Dela Rey Steyn said:


> MAJOR CIGARETTE BUST IN CENTURION BY TSHWANE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS WITH TEN SUSPECTS ARRESTED Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers were doing lockdown patrols in Lyttelton, Centurion on Tuesday, 14 April 2020. They found one male roaming the streets who could not account for being there. He was searched and the TMPD officers found four packets of cigarettes on him. Upon further questioning, he led them to a flat where he bought the cigarettes. Nine people were found at the premises. The place was searched and the officers discovered many boxes of cigarettes. The cigarettes found has an estimated street value of more than R1,5 million. Cash amounting to R325 000 was also seized. All ten people, including the person who was found with the four packets of cigarettes, were arrested for contravening the lockdown rules. One male was also charged with bribery after offering R3 000 to the officers. They will appear in court soon.
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I wonder how many get destroyed and how many get handed around the police department, i bet if any of those officers smoke while coming down heavy they will also be thinking well that's sorted out my smokes!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Silver (14/4/20)

Adephi said:


> I found this interview very informative




Thanks @Adephi - that was interesting

So the professor confirmed that there is no added benefit to stopping smoking in the short term. I.e. if your lungs have been damaged from years of smoking, stopping for a short time is not going to give any additional health benefits.

He did mention the issue of sharing cigarettes, being a common practice in group settings - and that could be an issue that helps spreading the virus.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## RenaldoRheeder (15/4/20)

Dela Rey Steyn said:


> Vark Steaks!!! R100 a packet?!?!? Even if I still smoked I would have given that a skip.



Go to Australia - when I was still smoking I ran out of cigarettes once. I had to pay over R400 for a pack of 30s. That is the normal price. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hooked (15/4/20)

Timwis said:


> This doesn't sit well with me, i wouldn't encourage anyone to break laws etc but the bloke with the 4 packets of cigarettes was breaking the rules anyway and should of kept his mouth shut, nobody likes a grass!



I agree (theoretically) that he should have kept quiet, but we don't know what pressure the police put on him. This is SA @Timwis and the police can be pretty violent, although of course it's denied.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mollie (15/4/20)

I heard there is a lady also advertising smokes on facebook i mean come on your looking for problems or you don't think your gonna get caught how stupid can you be

So glad i don't smoke anymore

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Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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