Three arrested after raid on North End dealership

Nineteen stolen cellphone tower batteries have been seized and three people arrested after police raided a second-hand dealership in North End on Tuesday morning.

By midday, Madiba Scrap Metal, had been shut down and the three people inside the premises arrested.

An investigation into the business has been launched to determine if it is linked to the purchasing, or sale, of other stolen items.

The estimated value of the confiscated batteries is more than R150,000.

Authorities have described the recent spate of cellphone tower battery thefts as a national problem which is on the rise.

Due to the extent of the theft, the organised crime branch has taken over the case in an attempt to track down the syndicate that investigators suspect is responsible.

Investigators believe syndicates are targeting network towers, stealing batteries to smuggle them out of the country for sale on the black market.

Police spokesperson Captain Johan Rheeder said flying squad and Mount Road police station detectives made the bust after receiving a tip-off about suspected stolen goods being stored at the dealership in Shell Road, North End.

“Police went to the premises and conducted an inspection where 19 cellphone tower batteries were located.

“In addition, suspected stolen copper wire was also found on site,” he said.

“The three people at the premises were arrested and the scrap dealership shut down.”

Rheeder said efforts were under way to locate the companies that own the batteries.

“Detectives are contacting the various providers to determine when and where they were taken,” he said.

Two men and one woman, aged between 23 and 48, were arrested and detained at Mount Road Police Station.

“The second-hand goods inspectors have also been alerted and [the dealership’s] register confiscated pending investigation,” Rheeder said.

By law, second-hand dealers have to keep records of items purchased and meet certain conditions to be able trade.

Rheeder warned that the purchasing of stolen items fuelled the criminal underworld.

“This is an example to all businesses who operate by purchasing stolen items.

“We will shut you down and arrest those involved,” he said.

According to the police, syndicate members were moving across the country stealing cellphone tower batteries.

Five men — mostly foreign nationals  — appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court in July for allegedly stealing more than R1m worth of batteries.

The men are in custody awaiting a date to be set for the hearing of their bail application.

They face a string of charges linked to tower battery theft in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

The three suspects arrested on Tuesday are expected to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s  Court on Thursday.