LIMPOPO – Three men, between the ages of 38 and 47, are among 1 578 suspects arrested by police in Limpopo during their latest joint operation which concluded yesterday, 5 October.
The three men were arrested at ga-Masemola on Wednesday, 30 September for the possession of nyaope. The arrests were made by members of the Limpopo Highway Patrol Unit and according to a statement by Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, the men were out on bail after they were previously arrested for armed robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms.
“A further charge of bribery was added after one of the men tried to bribe members with R1 000,” Mojapelo added.
The operations, which comprised of members from various SAPS units including the Limpopo Highway Patrol, the Crime Intelligence Unit, the Tactical Response Team (TRT), the tracking team and crime prevention members, managed to recover 15 illegal firearms and several rounds of ammunition.
“The firearms will be subjected to ballistic investigations to determine if they were previously involved in the commission of serious and violent crimes,” his statement reads.
Mojapelo said the other arrests included people between the ages of 21 and 41 who committed various crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit business robbery, cash in transit (CIT), possession of illicit cigarettes, bribery, illegal immigration, possession of drugs, murder, attempted murder, rape and sexual assault to driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition and the illegal trading in liquor.
“Police also confiscated 4 573 illicit cigarettes, 24 dangerous weapons, 1 443g of dagga, 36g of nyaope, 42 knives, bottles of liquor and 1 265 fines were issued,” he said.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Nneke Ledwaba, commended the various teams for their concerted efforts in fighting crime across the province.
“The arrested suspects are expected to appear before various magistrate’s courts across the province, soon,” Mojapelo concluded.
