Calling premium rate services (either in ZA or internationally) would be one way to get some money out of possessing these things via kick-backs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premium-rate_telephone_number ZA SIM provisioning does not by default permit international calls AFAIK, however, and I'm not sure what the situation was with these particular SIMs. If they permitted international calls, then this situation *really* stinks.

"28 Cent Man" - I think his real name was MacGyver...