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Ammunition seized during arrests in the Western Cape.
Western Cape police have arrested 26 suspects for gang-related crimes. Most of the suspects were arrested in and around Manenburg, Elsies River, Kensington, Wynberg, Lentegeur, and Delft this week.
The majority of the suspects are known gang members and were arrested for crimes including possession of unlicenced firearm and ammunition, possession of a hijacked vehicle, theft out of a motor vehicle, discharging of a firearm in a municipal area, possession of and dealing in drugs.
“Amongst those arrested is a wanted individual who had escaped from lawful custody earlier last month. The team operationalised information which led them to the location of the escapee, resulting in his re-arrest in Lentegeur. The suspect was initially arrested for a gang-related murder,” says the police in a statement.
The arrests were made under Operation Lockdown, which aims to address drug trafficking, extortion, and violent crimes linked to gangsterism, particularly in the Cape Flats.
Police have also seized four unlicenced firearms, several rounds of ammunition of different calibres, spent cartridges, a hijacked vehicle, drugs, a card machine, state-owned petrol cards, and cash believed to be the proceeds of crime during the same period.
Investigations are ongoing to determine whether the suspects and the seized firearms are linked to other serious crimes.
VIDEO | Communities on the Cape Flats have been concerned about gang-related violence:
