Seventeen suspects aged between 18 and 50 are expected to appear in the Roodepoort and Johannesburg Magistrate’s Courts this morning for contravening the Criminal Amendment Act 101 of 1956 and fraud.
Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation in Krugersdorp together with the Gauteng Tracking Team conducted an intelligence driven operation on 29 July 2021, in the Florida area where one suspect was arrested after illegally selling gas cylinders filled with illicit gas.
During the sting operation, the investigation team recovered the R2800-00 entrapment cash and seized the gas cylinders.
Further investigation led the investigation team to a premises in Langlaagte where a search and seizure warrant was executed and sixteen additional suspects were apprehended.
It is alleged that suspects were allegedly processing a fully operational illicit gas filling station without accreditation by gas cylinder companies, Affrox, EP Gas, Orix Gas, Easi Gas, and Raelite Gas.
Amongst other items seized for investigation, police confiscated over 500 gas cylinders in different sizes worth approximately half a million rand.
Investigation continues and more arrests cannot be ruled out.
