Police in Lilongwe have dismantled one of Malawi’s illegal firearm syndicates, arresting 23 individuals.
The suspects include three Malawi Defence Force officers, one British national, two Chinese nationals, and an Italian.
They are accused of participating in illegal arms dealings involving dangerous weapons.
Authorities have confiscated 19 pistols, 415 rounds of live ammunition, three explosive devices, and 325 blank cartridges.
Deputy National Police Public Relations Officer Harry Namwaza explained that the police launched targeted, intelligence-led operations after a tip from the public about suspect Mike Minjale.
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Minjale is believed to have smuggled illegal firearms into Malawi and supplied them to various people.
Minjale was arrested on June 3 at a roadblock in Ngumbe, Blantyre.
Following this, a special police team made additional arrests and recovered illegal firearms across multiple districts, including Blantyre, Nsanje, Chiradzulu, Zomba, Lilongwe, Ntchisi, and Dowa.
Namwaza stated that they have found out Minjale smuggled 20 pistols from South Africa into Malawi, which he then distributed to different individuals.
The police are currently working to locate the remaining pistol and identify its owner.
