Six men will be appearing in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court this morning (September 28), facing various charges.
This comes after the K9 Unit and SAPS officers were working in the Steadville area just after midnight yesterday (September 27). They spotted a suspicious-looking vehicle travelling in Cemetery Road. The vehicle was stopped and six occupants were found inside.
A search of the occupants and the vehicle yielded two unlicensed firearms (a .357 Magnum revolver and a .38 special revolver), three rounds of ammunition, several cell-phones and three knives.
The vehicle was also seized as evidence after it was found that identifying marks had been tampered with. The vehicle will undergo further investigation by the Ladysmith Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit to determine whether it was stolen.
During initial investigations, it was established that one of the firearms was reported stolen in Isipingo during 2001. The firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they have been used elsewhere in the country to commit a crime.
The six suspects, all in their late 20s, face charges of possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle, possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of unlicensed ammunition, and possession of dangerous weapons.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa, applauded the officers for the arrests and the recovery of the firearms. “We will continue with such operations to ensure that all unlicensed firearms that are in the hands of criminals are removed,” he said.
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