Lesotho nationals nabbed for illegal firearms and ammunition

Three Lesotho nationals have been arrested in Welkom for being in possession of two unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Free State police said.

A Toyota double cab bakkie registered in Gauteng was also seized during the arrests, Captain Stephen Thakeng said.

Members of the police Tactical Response Team (TRT) were on routine vehicle patrol in Long Road, St Helena in Welkom on Friday night, when they noticed a suspicious bakkie with Gauteng registration plates.

The bakkie driver was pulled over and the vehicle was searched.

During the search, two firearms and ammunition were found inside the bakkie. The three men could not produce documentation allowing them to be in possession of the firearms, he said.

The three men were arrested for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The men, aged from 25 to 29, would appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Monday, Thakeng said.

Welkom policing cluster commander Maj-Gen Lerato Molale applauded the TRT officers for a job well done.

“I am very proud of these members of TRT who were very much observant to notice a suspicious vehicle which led to the seizure of firearms, ammunition, and Toyota double cab. This is an indication that police are reclaiming the streets from criminals, as it was alluded in Operation Fiela 2 Reclaim,” Molale said.