A Bloemfontein gunsmith has been convicted of altering rifles after being bust by the Hawks.
Capt Christopher Singo of the Hawks said Izak Hattingh, 42, was found guilty of contravening the Firearms Control Act by the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
He was arrested in October last year after the Hawks’ national priority violent crimes unit in Bloemfontein visited his gun shop.
“During the search of the premises, police discovered 262 altered firearms (rifle) barrels. It is alleged that he was unlawfully changing the serial numbers of those firearm barrels to hide the original identity of the barrels, which is in contravention of the Firearms Control Act,” said Singo.
The court fined Hattingh R25,000. He was also sentenced to seven years' direct imprisonment, suspended for five years.
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