The Addis Ababa Police Commission says it has seized four illegal machines guns with over 46,000 bullets smuggled into the city.
The Addis Ababa Police has collaborated with National Intelligence and Security Services of Ethiopia to seize the machine guns around Nifas Silk area. The illegal four machine guns were hidden in a small Hyundai automobile – Atos.
The Addis Ababa Police indicated that it has arrested one man suspected of transporting the illegal weapons into Addis Ababa. Along with the illegal weapons the police has also captured $47,000 cash is also captured along with the machine guns.
In related development the Addis Ababa Police has also captured 46,404 different types of pistol bullets smuggled into Addis Ababa from Amhara Region. The bullets were transported by Isuzu truck along with charcoal. The police stated that it has captured three suspects in Gullele area.
The bullets were captured two weeks ago. After Ethiopia launched political and economic reform about a year ago, reports of illegal weapons and illicit financial flows have become common.
Police reports show that most of the weapons are smuggled into the country through the Sudan, Somali, South Sudan, Somaliland, and Kenyan borders. The borders are also used by contraband traders who smuggle out commodities, cannabis and illegal cash in hard currency from Ethiopia.