Cape police
cautious on illegal arms links
30
October 2016, 12:51pm
Yazeed
Kamaldien
Police at the home in Lydia Street, Valhalla
Park, where a large quantity of firearms were found. Picture: Tracey Adams
Cape Town - Western Cape police have refused to be drawn on
whether there were links between recent arms cache discoveries and the arrest
of a local businessman allegedly connected to a former Gauteng police officer.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said they were investigating
after 250 firearms were discovered in a bunker in a Valhalla Park house on
Friday. Four people were arrested. This follows the discovery of an arms cache
in a Kleinvlei cemetery in August.
In July, police arrested Rondebosch
businessman Irshaad Laher, who allegedly smuggled police-confiscated firearms
to local gangs.
Laher was arrested after former police colonel Chris
Prinsloo entered into a plea bargain. Prinsloo allegedly sold at least 2 000
guns to Laher. In return for co-operating with the state, Prinsloo was jailed
for 18 years.
Weekend Argus questioned the national and provincial police on
whether there were links between the arms-related busts.
While Van Wyk replied, “Everything is under investigation. We
are not going to speculate”, Brigadier Sally de Beer, spokeswoman for the
national police, said they hoped Friday’s arrest would “assist us in clamping
down on the scourge of gangsterism”.
Laher is scheduled to return to the Bellville Magistrate’s Court
on Wednesday. He is out on R100 000 bail and faces charges of fraud,
corruption, racketeering and theft of firearms and ammunition.
Laher’s assets, worth R9-million, have also been frozen. This
includes his Rondebosch home worth about R3m.
Weekend Argus
