Damning evidence of how more than 70 firearms that went missing from Webbs Arms in Gqeberha had made their way into the hands of dangerous criminals was presented during the bail hearing of firearms dealer Karen Webb, in the city's Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Webb, 47, has been charged with the theft of ten 9mm Glock pistols that went missing from the Aquila Arms’ stock while the cache was stored at her premises.
Her arrest on 8 February forms part of an ongoing police investigation into how firearms got into the possession of gangsters in the city's northern areas and other provinces.
Besides the 76 firearms that had been positively linked to crimes in the city's northern areas and as far as the Western Cape and Gauteng, the court also heard that 437 of the 900 firearms registered on Webbs Arms are unaccounted for.
According to the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Juan Botha's statement, Webb had moved firearms from her business premises shortly before her arrest.
Police traced the firearms to a storage facility in Sedgefield and determined that only 500 firearms belonging to her were stored, and without the relevant paperwork to support the transfer.
According to Botha's statement, the owner of Aquila Arms, Chris Evans, ran into financial difficulty in 2019.
After he was evicted from his shop he made arrangements for his firearms to be stored, at among others, Webb Arms.
Webb and Evans concluded a lease agreement on 1 November 2019 and his cache was stored in the main safe.
The court heard that some of the consignment had to be moved to a second safe on the premises after an inspection by police found that the main safe was too full.
The value of Aquila Arms' stock stored at Webb Arms at one point amounted to R3m.
In unpacking the alleged theft of the ten 9mm Glock pistols, Botha said in his statement that Evans had already sold the pistols to Magnum in 2019.
During the time it was stored at Webb Arms, Evans was awaiting the documentation to be finalised before handing the pistols over to the new owner.
He laid a charge of theft against Webb after an employee noticed that the Glocks were no longer in the safe.
It is further alleged that Webb had sold off seven of the ten "stolen" Glocks to other parties, while three remain unaccounted for.
Evans denies transferring the ownership of the alleged stolen guns to Webb, in lieu of outstanding payment for storage fees, stating that he had sold it prior to the date of storage at her facility.
Webb claims that she did not have the keys to Evans' second safe, but he says he handed her one in compliance with fire safety hazards.
Further allegations of how Webb allegedly sold a R4 rifle without the complainant's consent, and how more weapons than what is mentioned in the charge sheet, are at play were also mentioned.
Botha said that should Webb be released on bail, the likelihood exists that she can put firepower back into the hands of criminals.
He is of the opinion that she is a flight risk, especially since has a boyfriend who lives in America, and said she could interfere with state witnesses.
The investigation officer added that Webb never handed over her cell phone as part of the investigation and never divulged where the missing guns were.
He said people in Gqeberha were living in constant fear due to violent shooting incidents.
The bail hearing continues on Thursday.
