Acting on information, members of the unit went to the Ramaphosa informal settlement where they found one of the suspects with his girlfriend in a shack.
Officers searched the man and found two live rounds of ammunition in his wallet.
The man was taken to the Reiger Park police station for further questioning.
According to Reiger Park SAPS spokesperson, Sgt Mashudu Phathela, the man subsequently told the police that he had a firearm in his shack.
“Along with the suspect, officers went back to the shack to look for the firearm.
“It was, however, not found in the shack because the girlfriend had already removed it. She allegedly took it to a nearby shack where it was later found.
The man, his girlfriend and a third person, who was found in possession of the gun, were arrested and charged with the possession of an unlicensed firearm and live rounds of ammunition.
They are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on August 21.
The firearm is a Norinco 9mm pistol with a magazine and five live rounds of ammunition. Its serial number is filed-off, but ballistics tests will be conducted on it.
This recovery and arrests come less than a month after members of the Reiger Park SAPS’s newly formed crime intelligence unit uncovered what they believe is an illegal gun trade.
Members of the team arrested two men believed to be hitmen and their arrest led to the arrest of a third man on suspicion that he was involved in a weapons-dealing network.
All three suspects are BaSotho nationals and the weapons were positively linked to the ongoing illegal mining turf war among BaSotho nationals.
The team also recently recovered nine more firearms, nine magazines and 44 live rounds of ammunition belonging to Sinqobile Security Services, after they were initially reported stolen during a robbery.
Investigations, however, later revealed that an employee of the company was involved in the theft and police arrested him.
Phathela described guns and criminals as a bad combination, adding that the mix can result in robberies and even killings of innocent citizens.
The station management team thanked members of the public for the tip-off and applauded their members for their swift reaction to arrest and recovery of the dangerous weapons.
The station commander, Col Else Mashinini, said illegal firearms cause terror in the community, adding that removing them from the communities save many lives.
Police believe there are still many illegal firearms in the community and, for that reason, they are urging members of the public to continue giving the police information.
“By doing so you are saving someone’s life, maybe the lives of your relatives, friends and children,” said Mashinini. -@fanieFLK
