s 14V Powers of arrest
14V.—(1) Any officer of customs may arrest without warrant —(a) any person found committing or attempting to commit, or employing or aiding any person to commit, or abetting the commission of, an offence under section 14S(3); or (b) any person reasonably suspected of having committed, attempted to commit, employed or aided another person to commit, or abetted the commission of, an offence under section 14S(3), and may search or cause to be searched, any person so arrested. (2) A woman must not be searched except by a woman. (3) An officer of customs making an arrest without warrant must, without unnecessary delay and subject to this section as to bail or previous release, take or send the person arrested before a Magistrate’s Court. (4) An officer of customs must not detain in custody a person arrested without a warrant for a longer period than under the circumstances of the case is reasonable. (5) Such period must not exceed 48 hours exclusive of the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the Magistrate’s Court. (6) A person who has been arrested by an officer of customs must not be released except on the person’s own bond or on bail or under the special order in writing of a Magistrate or a senior officer of customs. (7) If any person liable to arrest under this Act is not arrested at the time of committing the offence for which the person is so liable, or after arrest makes his or her escape, the person may, at any time afterwards, be arrested and be dealt with as if the person had been arrested at the time of committing the offence.[Act 33 of 2023 wef 01/03/2024]