Just after midnight members of the Ladysmith K9 unit and the Ladysmith members were working in the Steadville area when they spotted a suspicious vehicle travelling in Cemetery Road, Steadville, Ladysmith.
The vehicle was stopped and six occupants were found inside. A search of the occupants and the vehicle yielded a find of two unlicensed firearms (a 357 magnum revolver and a 38 special revolver), three rounds of ammunition, several cell phones and three knives.
The vehicle was also seized as evidence after it was found that identifying marks had been tampered with. The vehicle will undergo further investigation by members of the Ladysmith Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit to determine whether the vehicle is indeed stolen.
During initial investigation it was established that one of the firearms was reported stolen in Isipingo during 2001.
The firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they may have been used elsewhere in the country to commit crime. The six suspects, all in their late twenties, are set to appear in the Ladysmith Magistrates Court on 28 September 2017.
They face charges of possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle, possession of unlicensed firearm, possession of unlicensed ammunition, and possession of a dangerous weapon.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa applauded the members for the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the firearms. “We will continue with such operations to ensure that all unlicensed firearms that are in the hands of the criminals are removed,” he said.
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