Five occupants, who were traveling in a white VW Polo, were detained and charged for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition (two counts), after two firearms with ammunition were found stashed in several compartments of the vehicle in Mzamba on Thursday evening.
Information in police records indicates that on Thursday, 26 September 2024, police received a complaint of a suspicious vehicle with five male occupants traveling around Mzamba.
Immediately, a complaint was dispatched to all patrol vehicles. Moments later, at about 19:00, a vehicle was spotted and stopped on route R61 (Main Road).
The five occupants, who declared that they were originally from KwaZulu-Natal gave a suspicious account on the reason they were in the Eastern Cape. Upon a search of the vehicle, police members have found two firearms, a revolver with ammunition, and a 9mm pistol with ammunition stashed in different compartments of the vehicle. The serial numbers on both firearms were filed off. Police also seized eight cellphones, four pairs of hand gloves and a packet containing cable ties. A vehicle, a VW Polo, was confiscated for further investigation. The detectives are profiling the five men. The two firearms are to be sent for ballistics tests.
The five men, aged between 26 and 43, were charged for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition (two counts), and are due to appear in the Mzamba Magistrate's Court tomorrow to face the said charges. There is a possibility of additional charges at the later stage of the investigation.
