Police in the Western Cape have been lauded for removing a firearm and drugs from the streets of Cape Town in separate incidents.
In the first incident which unfolded shortly before 9.40pm, Gugulethu police officers responded to an alert from the City of Cape Town’s Nyanga ShotSpotter system and arrived at Dos Santos Street in New Cross Roads said the Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk.
The system detected gunfire in the area.
"In Ndumiseni Street, the members saw an unknown male sitting in a chair. As he got up from the chair, members noticed an object which resembled a firearm in his hand, trying to hide it behind his leg. The member instantly jumped out of the vehicle and instructed the male to get on the ground," said van Wyk.
The suspect dropped the weapon, which was identified as a 9mm Lanik pistol with its serial number removed. Nine rounds of ammunition were also seized. The man was arrested for possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition and taken into custody at Gugulethu police station.
In a separate case, police in Bellville arrested a man for drug possession earlier on the same day.
At about midday, members of the SAPS' Bellville Crime Prevention Unit were patrolling Ford Street when they noticed a man behaving suspiciously while smoking. Officers searched him and found a bag containing 1,157 mandrax tablets.
The suspect was detained on charges of drug possession.
Both men are expected to appear in court, with the Gugulethu suspect facing the Athlone Magistrate's Court and the Bellville suspect appearing in the Bellville Magistrate's Court.
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