Police operation leads to arrest of man with illegal firearms and ammunition in KZN

A man facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition has been remanded in police custody after his court appearance. 

Methew Reece, 37, appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday. 

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza stated that in September, members of the Ilembe Crime Intelligence gathered intelligence on a suspect believed to be in possession of illegal firearms.

He said various strategies were employed, and the information was positively verified. The KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court granted a search and seizure warrant after an application was submitted.

Magwaza stated that on Thursday, a multidisciplinary operation involving Ilembe Crime Intelligence, uMhlali Task Team, KwaDukuza Tactical Response Team, uMhlali Vispol, and IPSS Security Services was conducted at a residence in Palm Lakes.

“During the search, police discovered two 303 rifles, one pump-action shotgun, and 78 12-gauge shotgun rounds,” Magwaza said. 

“The recovered firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they have been used in the commission of any other crimes.”

Magwaza said Reece is expected to apply for bail when he makes his second court appearance on Friday, October 10. 

Meanwhile, in September, Operation Shanela led to the arrest of 5,527 individuals for various offences. Additionally, 105 unlicensed firearms, including eight rifles, were recovered during the operation.

The arrests and recoveries are the result of ongoing operations carried out by various police units in specific policing precincts.

Magwaza said that of the 5,527 suspects, 1,464 were arrested for contact crimes, of which 730 were arrested for assault with an intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He said 85 suspects were arrested for murder, and 93 suspects were arrested for attempted murder cases. 

Additionally, police operations led to the arrest of 921 suspects involved in drug dealing, with narcotics recovered during the process.

“Police also arrested 51 suspects for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” Magwaza said. 

“Frantic work is ongoing behind the scenes in trying to establish possible links of the arrested suspects with other crimes. The firearms recovered will also be subjected to ballistics tests to determine if they have not been used in the commission of other crimes.” 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za