Unlicensed firearm syndicate nabbed by police

A South African Police Service (SAPS) intelligence operation has arrested two suspects and seized a fleet of 30 unlicensed firearms.

As a result, SAPS’s anti-kidnapping task team believes it has debilitated a syndicate involved in trafficking unlicensed firearms across multiple provinces.

Two individuals, aged 34 and 35, were arrested just outside of Meyersdal in Alberton, Gauteng, on Monday evening, 28 July 2025.

The operation involved members from crime intelligence, the Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit, JHB K9, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, and private security.

Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said that the operatives had spent several days gathering intelligence across provinces and surveilling suspects moving unlicensed firearms.

“As suspects collected the firearms, the team moved in for a coordinated tactical takedown in Meyersdal,” Mathe said.

The suspects were found with 30 unlicensed 9mm firearms, which, upon further investigation, were en route to the Western Cape, according to Mathe.

She said both suspects have been linked to several other cases in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

“The suspects are in custody and are facing multiple charges, including illegal possession and trafficking of firearms,” she added.

“Investigations are ongoing to track down more members of this illegal firearm trafficking syndicate.”

Weapons intercepted by SAPS in Gauteng