3 Suspects Arrested for Possession of Explosives and Unlicensed Firearms in Limpopo
- Three suspects will appear before the Sekhukhune and Maake Magistrates Courts on Thursday, following their arrests for possessing explosives, unlicensed firearms, and ammunition.
- The police acted on a tip-off, leading to coordinated operations in the Apel and Maake policing areas
- The suspects, aged 28 to 36, were apprehended with significant illegal items
Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered court and crime-related news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.
Source: Twitter
Three suspects are set to appear separately before the Sekhukhune and Maake Magistrates Courts on Thursday, 4 July.
After a series of coordinated operations, police in the Apel and Maake policing areas arrested three male suspects, aged between 28 and 36.
In a statement, the police noted the suspects were arrested on charges related to the possession of explosives, unlicensed firearms, and ammunition.
See the post on X below:
Tip-off from community saves the day
The arrests followed a valuable tip-off and involved swift and precise action by specialised police units.
The first arrest occurred in the Apel policing area.
On the same day as the tip-off, a specialized task force comprising members of the National Intervention Unit (NIU), Jane Furse Tracking Team, and the Acting Station Commander of Jane Furse intercepted two suspects in a black Mitsubishi Colt vehicle on road D1409 at Stydkraal.
The suspects, aged 28 and 29, were found in possession of a significant cache of illegal items, including:
- 3 explosives
- 3 detonators
- AK-47 semi-automatic rifle with an empty magazine
- Revolver pistol
- 9mm pistol with one magazine containing 8 live rounds of ammunition
- 28x 9mm loose live ammunition
The suspects were promptly taken into custody.
Further investigation led to more arrests
Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosives had been supplied by an individual residing in the Maake policing area.
This information was relayed to the Mopani District Tracking Team, who, in collaboration with Maake Vispol, launched an operation the same evening in Burgersdorp village.
The suspect, located at a rented residence, was found with:
- Blasting cartridge
- 3 improvised blasting cartridges
- 4 detonating fuses
- 2 capped fuses
- 6 shock tube assemblies
- 4 different live ammunition
He was apprehended on the scene, and both the explosives and his silver Ford Falcon vehicle were confiscated.
The suspect faces charges of unlawful possession of explosives, unlawful possession of ammunition, and contravention of the immigration act.
Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, praised the dedication and swift action of the police.
"The eradication of criminal activities in our province remains a top priority, and the successful apprehension of these suspects is a testament to our commitment."
Police continue to clamp down on Zama Zamas after one was found with uncut diamonds
Briefly News reported that the police intensified efforts against Zama Zamas in a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining.
A 21-year-old Lesotho national was arrested for allegedly possessing uncut diamonds during a vehicle checkpoint inspection in Kleinsee on 18 June.
The suspect, who lacked proper documentation, remains in custody and is expected to appear in court soon.
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Source: Briefly News
