A case of theft was registered, but there was no progress with the investigation.
“The matter was referred to the Hawks' serious organised crime investigation in May 2018 and it was established that Cohen [allegedly] stole the firearm in 2016 and gave it to a gang in Grabouw, who then sold it to another gang in Cape Town in exchange for drugs,” said Mnisi.
The missing firearm is yet to be recovered.
Cohen was released on warning and will appear in court again on May 3.
More than 30,000 firearms were destroyed by the police in Gauteng on Wednesday.
The firearms, marked for destruction, at steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal in Vereeniging, had all been "seized, surrendered or forfeited" to the state, said police.
Police minister Bheki Cele said around two-thirds of the firearms were surrendered and the rest procured through "the actions of police".