Cape Town - The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) National Bureau for Illegal Firearms Control and Priority Violent Crime (NBIFCPVC) from Cape Town, alongside a special task force in Durban, Crime Intelligence and metro police, arrested a firearms dealer on Friday for allegedly supplying firearms to gangs in Cape Town.
In a statement, Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said the 41-year-old gun shop owner was linked to the supplying of firearms through a separate investigation and faces a range of charges.
“The Durban-based firearms dealer was allegedly linked to an illegal supply of firearms through his dealership to criminal gangs in the Western Cape.
“He will be facing several charges that include murder, attempted murder, fraud, contravention of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 as well as contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) 121 of 1998,” Hani said.
She said the Hawks-led team seized 17 illegal firearms in George in transit from Johannesburg. Further investigation revealed that the seized firearms were allegedly destined for criminal gangs in Cape Town.
Hani said a further 44 firearms were seized from the suspect’s business during the investigation.
“A further forensic examination allegedly linked some of the firearms to criminal activities ranging from murder and attempted murder,” she said.
The gun shop owner is expected to appear in the Worcester Magistrate’s Court in the Western Cape on Monday.
In an unrelated incident, an abalone poacher received hefty fines and a suspended sentence in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Tanzanian national Abdurahman Rashid, 45, was busted with abalone worth more than R2 million on November 11 last year.
Rashid entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State and received a fine of R12 000 or 12 months’ imprisonment on the first four charges. On the fifth charge he was fined R1 000 or two months’ imprisonment.
African News Agency (ANA)