Smoking Gun: Tobacco tycoon's tussle with tax authority unravels

The year ended badly for Julius Malema funder - and alleged cigarette smuggling kingpin - Adriano Mazzotti. His Carnilinx was among a group of tobacco manufacturers that failed in their urgent bid to interdict SARS against installing CCTV cameras at their warehouses. In his reaction, Tax Justice South Africa’s Yusuf Abramjee calls on the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) to come clean on what they have to hide. He also speaks to BizNews about the modus operandi of the big crime syndicates; some of their tax avoidance tricks; the lack of law enforcement against the crime lords; the lifestyle of the kingpins; and Dubai as a hub of criminal operations - and a destination of choice for fugitives from the law. - Chris Steyn