Police clamp down on illegal firearms
All the recovered firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing
Acting on information received, police in various areas conducted Intelligence-driven operations to crack down on unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
During the weekend of May 6 and 7, a total of four unlicensed firearms were recovered, as well as ammunition.
Police in the Upper Tugela policing precinct conducted a raid on two homes in the Emaswazini area. After a search, police recovered an R1 assault rifle with 36 rounds of ammunition, as well as a 9mm pistol with five rounds of ammunition.
The suspects evaded arrest, as they fled into the dense bushy terrain. In Loskop, police recovered a .38 revolver, which had been abandoned at a premises.
An operation held in the Nkomakazini area of Loskop on May 7 saw the team tracing a suspect who had been travelling in a taxi.
“The man was searched as soon as he got out of the vehicle and was found to have a pistol holstered on his waist. He was immediately arrested for not being in possession of a valid licence,” explained police spokesperson Warrant Officer Basheer Khan.
The arrested suspect appeared in the Estcourt Magistrate’s Court last week, facing charges of being in possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.
“The suspect has been profiled and all the recovered firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing,” added Khan.
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