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End of the road for cigarette gang 

State witness Vernon Aspeling's six years of hell, in which he was shot and wounded and his 10-year-old son Liam kidnapped, has ended in the Cape High Court.

Under heavy guard from witness protection officers, Aspeling reportedly became visibly emotional as Judge Lee Bozalek found that he had been a reliable "chief pillar" witness against the cigarette hijacking gang that he had once been a member of, and granted the 45-year-old indemnity from prosecution for his part in the crimes.

Now, after Aspeling's evidence led to the conviction on Wednesday of all but three of the gang headed by brothers Selwyn and Virgil de Vries, The Star has learnt that police are renewing their investigation of two gang members alleged to have orchestrated Liam's kidnapping from jail.

Liam was kidnapped a week before his father was due to start testifying

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