Seventeen suspects are expected to appear in court this week on charges of possession of a prohibited firearm, ammunition as well as fraud after cops were alerted to two incidents on Friday.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi says an integrated operation was conducted in the city centre, where five men and nine female foreign nationals were arrested on a charge of fraud.
He says: “The members entered a local hotel and entered a room where they found 14 foreign nationals.
“They searched the room and confiscated three Apple MacBooks, 13 Apple pro iPhones including bank cards and fraudulent identity books. It is alleged that the suspects booked into the hotel and paid with the fraudulent bank cards.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today.
In an unrelated intervention, Lentegeur Serious and Violent Crimes officers were busy with tracing operations on Friday morning in New Woodlands when they followed up on information about a wanted suspect who is a member of the Inglourious Basterds gang, driving in a green Fiat Uno.
Lentegeur Station Commander, Colonel Umavathie Rameshwarnath, says the suspect was wanted on a warrant of arrest for failing to appear at Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on a case of possession of firearm and ammunition.
Cops flagged down the car and found three men, aged 25, 32 and 35 inside, including the wanted suspect.
Rameshwarnath says: “While searching the vehicle, the members found an unlicensed CZ75 pistol with 30 rounds and an extended magazine under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. All three suspects were arrested and detained at Lentegeur SAPS.”
The firearm was taken for DNA analysis and the suspects will appear in Mitchell's Plain magistrate’s Court today.