Five suspects appeared in court yesterday (Tuesday) after being arrested in separate cases in the Uthukela Cluster for possession of drugs and firearms.
The first suspect, aged 40, was arrested in the early hours of Friday morning when Estcourt police officers reacted to a tip-off and visited a home in Mngwenya Location. During a search of the property, a rifle was found hidden under a mattress. Another search turned up 62 rounds of ammunition. The suspect faces charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The second suspect, aged 29, was arrested on Sunday evening when Ntabamhlophe Visible Policing officers received information about an unlicensed firearm. The officers immediately made their way to the Kwa Mkhize area, where the alleged person was and upon locating him, they found him to be in possession of an unlicensed Norinco 9mm pistol and six rounds of ammunition.
The third suspect was arrested on Sunday night in the Amangwe area after police received a tip-off that a person in Tatane Location had an illegal firearm in his possession. On arriving at the said premises, police conducted a search which resulted in the recovery of a 9mm pistol with seven rounds of ammunition. A 33-year-old suspect was arrested and faces charges of being in possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.
Bringing the total number of arrests to five, two other suspects were arrested at Cathedral Peak after two rangers noticed the men coming down the mountain carrying bags with them. They contacted Bergville SAPS and officers rushed out to the scene where they arrested the men. The two were found in possession of around 30kg of dagga. The suspects, aged 28 and 39, appeared in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court, where they faced charges of dealing in dagga.
The street value of the dagga is estimated at around R45,000.
