BLOEMFONTEIN – Five men aged between 24 and 30 have been arrested by members of the SAPS Public Order Policing Unit and Bloemfontein Platoons 5 and 6, in connection with alleged robbery involving an unlicensed firearm and dealing in Mandrax. The arrests were carried out on Tuesday in the Pieter Swarts and Freedom Square residential areas following a diligent investigation.

Free State police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane confirmed the recovery of a firearm, ammunition, and Mandrax tablets. He said the arrests followed shortly after a broad-daylight robbery with a firearm in the Kopanong area of Turflaagte with the illicit drug dealing bust at a house in Freedom Square. The value of the confiscated drugs is yet to be determined.

“Members who were patrolling along the M10 Road noticed a group of males running in an open veld towards Pieter Swarts and Bloemside 2. The operators suspected mischief and followed on foot to investigate. Subsequently, two victims reported to the police that they were robbed with a firearm by the fleeing suspects. The Platoon 5 operators joined the search, leading to the arrest of the suspects in the Pieter Swarts area and the recovery of a 9mm Silver pistol, a magazine loaded with one round,” said Covane.

Covane said that at the house where the 30-year-old suspect was arrested, members confiscated portions of the highly addictive Mandrax tablets as evidence — five full tablets, seven halves, and eight quarters. “The suspect was arrested for possession of and dealing in illicit drugs,” he said.

Covane added that the firearm and magazine, including drugs, were seized as evidence in the investigation. He added: “The unlicensed firearm would be subjected to forensic ballistic testing to determine if it was used to commit other violent crimes.”
Covane said a preliminary investigation established critical information linking all five suspects, despite their being arrested on separate occasions. He said the five men were expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court soon, facing charges of robbery with a firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, as well as dealing in drugs.