A Benoni-based clearing agent was arrested this week after he handed “a plastic bag with Simba chips covering R100000 in cash” to a South African Revenue Service (Sars) official.

This was‚ Sars said in a statement on Friday‚ one of two examples of its officials showing “the highest integrity”.

The R100000 bribe was‚ Sars said‚ “offered to release goods that had been stopped at border posts”.

It followed the detention of a truck loaded with an electrical transformer valued at R9595194 trying to leave South Africa at the Kopfontein border post on October 2.

 “There were discrepancies in the entries and customs officers sent the case for further investigation to the Tactical Investigations Unit (TIU)‚” Sars said.

“The TIU suspected it may be a ghost export transaction valued at R28302068 and when the investigating officer contacted the clearing agent‚ he was offered a bribe.”

The arrest was made on Tuesday.

The second incident involved “illicit goods valued at around R5-million hidden in two containers filled with molasses from Zambia”‚ which was stopped by a “vigilant customs officer” at Groblersbridge.

More than 110 cartons of cigarettes (total street value of R2292386)‚ 40512 tubes of facial creams (R2025600) and 8000 contraceptive tablets (R680000) were found inside the two containers.

“The driver offered a R10000 bribe to the customs officer to get free passage to South Africa. However‚ the South African Police Service was informed and the driver was arrested. The truck was detained and the illicit goods were seized‚” Sars said.