FOUR wanted criminals, two unlicensed firearms and 150 9mm bullets were recovered yesterday (Monday) by Empangeni SAPS.
A tip-off received from an anonymous source informed the police of a white double-cab Colt bakkie with four suspicious looking male occupants driving in Empangeni’s CBD.
Using this information the police where able to identify the bakkie and brought the vehicle to a halt in Union Street, just before midday, close to the Lower Umfolozi Regional War Memorial Hospital.
The four occupants were ordered out of the bakkie and it was searched by the police.
Upon inspection the firearms, one of which is reported to be a police-issue, were found inside the vehicle.
Along with the firearms a large quantity of ammunition was also found.
‘The bullets were brand new and still shiny, there must be about 150 in total,’ a SAPS spokesperson reported.
The four men, from the Nhlambane area, were detained and found to be wanted criminals suspected of murder.
One of the men had previously been charged with murder but managed to escape police custody a few months ago.
The white Colt bakkie, which was being used by the suspects, had been stolen during a hijacking in Verulam last month, police reported.
Another white Toyota bakkie, which was following the Colt, sped off and managed to evade the police when they tried to stop it.
‘We suspect that the occupants of the two vehicles were working together. We are on the look out for this vehicle,’ the SAPS spokesperson said.
The four men will appear in court tomorrow where they will face charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and the illegal possession of ammunition.
