Three people have been arrested for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition in the Stulwane area, Bergville in the early hours of Wednesday.
Officers from Upper Tugela police station, together with the members of the KZN Provincial Drugs and Firearms Unit, arrested the three on an intelligence driven operation targeting armed suspects alleged to be involved in cross-border criminal activities including livestock theft.
Stulwane area is about 20km from Bergville town in the Okhahlamba Municipality, in the Northern Drakensberg foothills.
It is close to the KZN and Lesotho border and believed to be a hotspot for cross-border livestock theft and illegal firearms following previous cases.
Police have confirmed the recovery of a shotgun with four rounds of ammunition, a .38 revolver with seven rounds of ammunition, a homemade firearm with three rounds of ammunition, and a 6.35 pistol with eight rounds of ammunition.
Upon the police departure from the Stulwane area, some community members demanded the release of the three suspects aged between 30 and 44 years.
The three were later charged for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, pending a court appearance in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on October 7.
thulaganyo.sethibe@iol.co.za
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