Lilongwe, June 15 (Mana) – Police in Lilongwe have arrested 23 individuals suspected of involvement in an illegal firearms syndicate. Among them are three Malawi Defence Force officers, a British national, two Chinese nationals, and an Italian.

Authorities have recovered 19 pistols, 415 live rounds of ammunition, three explosive devices, and 325 blank cartridges in connection with the case.

Confirming the arrests on Sunday, National Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Harry Namwaza stated, “The suspects are accused of unlawful possession of dangerous weapons.”

Namwaza explained that police launched an intelligence-led operation after receiving a tip-off from the public. “Police conducted special intelligence-led operations following a tip-off from the general public regarding suspect Mike Minjale, who allegedly smuggled illegal firearms and supplied them to various individuals,” he said.

Minjale was arrested on June 3 at a roadblock in Ngumbe, Blantyre. Subsequent investigations revealed that he had smuggled 20 pistols from South Africa into Malawi and distributed them to various individuals.

“Police are still working to locate the remaining pistol and apprehend its possessor,” Namwaza added.

The suspects were apprehended in multiple districts, including Blantyre, Nsanje, Chiradzulu, Zomba, Lilongwe, Ntchisi, and Dowa. Investigations into the case remain ongoing.

(By Santos Zefania-MANA)