Hawks arrest Vischkuil man arrested after five months investigation
Hawks operation net suspect for unlicensed firearms and explosives.
A 56-year-old man was arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition, explosives and gold bearing material in Fourth Street, Vischkuil on Tuesday.
An intelligence-driven sting operation by the Gauteng Hawks National Bureau of Illegal Firearms Control and Priority Violent Crimes (NBIFCPVC) has led to his arrest.
The arrest follows a five month investigation after the Hawks received information about a suspect who was allegedly in possession of suspected illegal firearms and ammunition.
A search and seizure operation was conducted at the property and, with the assistance from the Springs SAPS, the SAPS Bomb Disposal Unit and SAPS K9 Dog Unit, the members seized 16 shotguns, a revolver, 1.5-million rounds of ammunition, different kinds of explosives, signal fairs, hand grenades and electronic detonators.
During the intensive search, members also recovered containers containing suspected gold bearing material, used for the processing of gold dust, worth over R300 000.
Hawks acting head Lt Gen Yolisa Matakata congratulated Gauteng provincial head Maj Gen Prince Mokotedi and his NBIFCPVC team and all other officers involved in the operation.
“I am very pleased with the result and I want to encourage them to continue with the hard work.
“The next big job is to investigate the origin of the arms and ammunition, their intended use, and whether any of them had been used to commit an offence,” says Matakata.
She says: “Gauteng is not a haven for arms caches and we would to warn anyone that the Hawks are watching you.
“The Hawks are seriously shifting their focus to individuals who harbour illegal firearms and explosives that instill fear in our communities.
“With the help of our communities we will break the spine of organised crime with all its manifestations in the country,” she adds.
The suspect was taken to the Springs police cells where he will remain until his court appearance tomorrow (August 24) facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition, explosives, gold bearing material, and contravention of Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.
