A special police task team found a cache of stolen firearms in a dustbin in an East London home last week.
The firearms are believed to have been stolen from Peddie police station two months ago.
The police team, comprising members of the provincial organised crime unit, tracking team and East London flying squad last week arrested three suspects, who led them to a house in Buffalo Flats, where stolen firearms were hidden. Police recovered two R5 rifles, two shotguns and five pistols – as well as ammunition.
Police believe the stolen firearms had been hidden by people who had bought them from the thieves.
Provincial police spokeswoman, Brigadier Marinda Mills, confirmed the recovery.
She says 24 firearms had been recovered and eight suspects arrested.
“The firearms have been positively linked to the Peddie police station break in. The task team had been working around the clock and has followed information from as far as Cape Town and more arrests are expected,” said Mills.
The Peddie firearm case follows cases in 2012 and earlier this year, when firearms were reportedly stolen from Dimbaza police station.
In 2012, 35 9mm pistols were stolen from Dimbaza police station.
In January this year, a police constable from Dimbaza police station was said to have disappeared with five 9mm illegal firearms kept at the station.
A police source who is not authorised to speak to the media and thus did not want to be identified, said they were not yet able to link the Peddie and Dimbaza thefts.
“The break-in at the Peddie station saw 30 firearms stolen, and a strong team of investigators from police headquarters in Pretoria together with local teams are being assembled to investigate this theft.
“The arrests and discovery of firearms will lead to a number of arrests, and if our members are involved they will be arrested as no stone will be left unturned ,” said the police source.
The Peddie firearms were taken from a strongroom. Earlier this month, an intelligence-driven police raid involving East London’s K9 unit and its flying squad, and the crime intelligence unit led to the arrest of a 30-year-old suspect in connection with the Peddie theft.
He was apprehended at Fort Grey informal settlement allegedly in possession of an R5 rifle, shotgun and a .303 rifle.A large quantity of ammunition and magazines were also seized.
After the Peddie incident, the station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Melinyaniso Nokoyo, was transferred pending disciplinary action related to the break-in.
“Police are continuing with their investigation and more arrests are imminent,” said the source. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za