MBABANE – Police have foiled attempts by the alleged online gambling syndicate to dispose of vehicles and smuggle cash out of the country, as investigations into the case intensify.
This follows the recent dismantling of operations linked to XWin (Pty) Ltd, where several foreign nationals were arrested for allegedly running an illegal online gambling enterprise from premises in Mbabane.
Court documents show that shortly after the arrests, individuals linked to the syndicate allegedly moved to liquidate assets suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Investigations by the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit revealed that some company vehicles were being quietly put up for sale. Evidence before the High Court indicates that a garage owner in Matsapha was approached regarding at least five vehicles linked to the company.
This reportedly raised concerns among investigators that there was a coordinated effort to dispose of assets before they could be seized.
Police believe the move was aimed at defeating the ends of justice by converting assets into cash to make them difficult to trace.
“This was a clear indication that there were attempts to get rid of property linked to the investigation,” reads part of the affidavit.
The vehicles form part of a fleet allegedly purchased using proceeds from the illegal gambling operation. These include a Toyota Fortuner, a Volkswagen sedan, a Mercedes-Benz and several station wagons used for staff transport.
In a separate incident, one of the vehicles was intercepted at the Mahamba Border while being driven out of the country.
The Toyota sedan had already been flagged by investigators, enabling immigration officials to detect it at the border.
Investigations revealed that two emaSwati men had been recruited to transport a Chinese woman to Johannesburg using the vehicle.
However, the woman allegedly distanced herself from the vehicle when questioned, claiming she had only hired the men for transport.
Police said this contradiction raised suspicion and pointed to an attempt to conceal the vehicle’s true ownership.
A search of the vehicle uncovered approximately E48 000 in cash, along with various foreign currencies.
Investigators believe the money was being smuggled out of the country as part of efforts to move suspected proceeds of crime beyond the reach of authorities.
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