On Saturday, 28 April 2018 two off-duty police officers from the Cradock K9 Unit, followed up on information that was cascaded from their colleagues at Queenstown K9 Unit and Pops Unit of a Toyota Quantum traveling towards Cape Town, allegedly conveying illegal firearms.
They booked themselves on duty and started to patrol the area just outside Cradock were they stopped the vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle, twelve male occupants were arrested for possession of illegal firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Seven pistols, one AK 47 rifle and several rounds of ammunition were seized.
The firearms will be forwarded for forensic testing including ballistics testing for verifications.
Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga, Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner praised the team for their vigilance in the recovery of these illegal firearms.
“Our Back to Basics approach is bearing fruit with good old fashioned police work. We will continue to stamp the authority of State with increased operations throughout the province. Our robust approach will continue to eliminate the proliferation of illegal firearms that contribute to the commission of crime and even the loss of innocent lives. We will not hesitate to act against individuals who continue to contravene the law”, she added.
The suspects will appear in court early next week.
