Police nab two men for firearm and drug offences in Manenberg and Heideveld

Two men were arrested in separate incidents in Manenberg and Heideveld for firearm and drug-related offences.

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Two men have been arrested in separate incidents in Manenberg and Heideveld for firearm and drug-related offences.

A man, 52, was arrested for possession of a prohibited firearm in Picos Walk, Manenberg, on Tuesday, June 23.

Provincial police Constable Ndakhe Gwala said members followed up on information about a firearm and went to the suspect's home at 3am.

While searching the premises, members found a 9mm pistol without a serial number and 15 rounds of ammunition.

The suspect admitted that he is gang-affiliated and bought the firearm for protection against a rival group, said Gwala.

The suspect will make his first court appearance at the Athlone Magistrate's Court once he has been charged, and an investigation into the firearm distributor is currently underway.

Manenberg Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson Vernon Visagie said the community understands the devastating impact drugs have on children and welcomed the arrests.

"The community knows the devastating effect these drugs have on our children, and therefore we want to applaud SAPS for acting so quickly to bring these criminals to book. We also want to applaud the community for helping SAPS and notifying us of these criminal activities that are taking place within our community," he said.

"The CPF is calling on the community to continue helping us identify hotspots and drug outlets so that we can achieve more successes within our community. A very big thank you to those who are cooperating with us," he said.

In another incident, members of Operation Lockdown III uncovered a drug storage of a local gang group in Sneeuberg Street, Heideveld, on Sunday, June 21.

Gwala said the team searched the address, acting on intelligence, and recovered two digital scales, 48 mandrax tablets, and 39 sachets of cocaine.

A man, 40, voluntarily handed over a black bag containing 678 sachets of tik, 63.10 grams of tik crystals, and 28 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Further probe led to the recovery of a 9mm pistol and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The man was arrested for possession of drugs, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.