A 37-year-old man is facing criminal charges after the South African Police Service (SAPS) Trio Task Team recovered three unlicensed firearms during a targeted operation in Wells Estate on 30 May 2026.
The arrest took place at approximately 00:30 when task team members executed a search at a residence on Nondumo Street. The operation followed actionable intelligence identifying the suspect as a person of interest in multiple serious violent crimes across the Nelson Mandela Bay region in the Eastern Cape province.
During the search, officers confiscated three unlicensed firearms and associated ammunition. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
He is expected to make his first court appearance in the Motherwell Magistrate’s Court on 01 June 2026, where he will face formal charges of illegal possession of three firearms and ammunition.
SAPS confirmed that investigative efforts are ongoing and that further charges related to the suspect’s alleged involvement in violent incidents in the Eastern Cape remain under consideration. The recovery of these weapons underscores continued law enforcement efforts to combat illegal firearm proliferation and violent crime in the province.
