Nelson Mandela Bay anti-gang unit recover 10 guns in five days

Ten stolen guns, including a loaded shotgun, have been recovered by the Bay’s newly operational anti-gang unit this week.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the latest recovery was at 2am on Friday during a search of a house in Denson Street in Bethelsdorp.

"During a search of the house, a shot gun was found hidden inside the roof. The firearms serial number was removed and at this stage it is unclear where it was stolen from,” she said.

On Thursday night, drugs and a Taurus firearm were found on the premises of a house in Kamassie Street in Jacksonville, Bethelsdorp.

"The firearm was found behind the house in the garden of a neighbouring yard in Conifer Street. The firearm was reported stolen in Bethelsdorp in November 2018,” Naidu said.

This comes after eight guns were recovered in a known gang den in Missionvale on Monday night.

Seven of the eight firearms recovered in the house were linked to the 169 firearms missing from East Cape Gun Traders, a gun shop owned by Anthony Lombard, 79, which is run from his house in Charlo.

Lombard is under criminal investigation after police found 169 guns missing from the store’s vault during an inspection sparked from a police shootout.

In January, police shut the shop down and confiscated 359 guns belonging to the company and private owners who had booked their weapons.

Naidu said that while no arrests were made in the latest recoveries, detectives were awaiting forensic reports to ascertain if the weapons can be linked to a suspect.

“The firearms have all been sent to the ballistic laboratory to see if they are connected to any open cases,” she said.

The search operation is part of the police’s new approach to gangsterism.

On Tuesday, police boss Commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga and premier Oscar Mabuyane visited the Bay and warned residents that the anti-gang unit would be on the hunt for known gangsters.

“We are declaring war on drug lords and gangsters,” they warned.

The campaign is backed by the municipality who are looking at repairing the CCTV cameras to ensure better monitoring.