KwaZulu-Natal police conducted a one-week operation from December 3 to 9 last year, which led to the recovery of 35 unlicensed firearms and 190 rounds of ammunition.
Various firearms – including pistols, rifles, homemade firearms and shotguns – were seized.
38 suspects were arrested and charged for possession of unlicensed firearms.
All the recovered firearms will be sent for ballistic testing to determine whether they were used to commit crimes in the country. Arrests were made in the areas of Msinga, Greytown, KwaMashu, Umlazi, Pietermaritzburg, Mpumalanga, Dundee and Ladysmith.
The suspects appeared in various magistrate’s courts.
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The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa, welcomed the arrests and the recovery of the firearms. “Our members will ensure that they eliminate the proliferation of illegal firearms in the country. We urge community members to work together with police in reporting any unlicensed firearms in suspects’ hands in their areas,” he said.
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