A suspected gang boss from Athlone has dodged a bullet after he was released from custody just days after he was nabbed by traffic cops on gun charges.
Dominique “Bullet” Bassier, 35, the alleged leader of the Americans gang in Kewtown, spent Christmas in a holding cell after he was caught during a roadblock on Christmas Eve.
Traffic Services spokesperson, Richard Coleman, says during the search on Jakes Gerwel Drive, officers found an unlicensed firearm in the vehicle and arrested two men.
Colonel Dawood Laing, standby commander for the Mitchells Plain cluster, says the revolver and ammunition were found hidden in a secret
compartment of the gold Honda Ballade which was driven by Cheslyn Fareda.
“(Bullet) is the known Americans gang boss in Kewtown and the Traffic Services made a really good arrest because it is not every day the boss gets caught and the gun was on the passenger side where he was sitting,” says Laing.
“According to the brief for the detective, the matter went to Athlone Magistrates’ Court where the prosecutor asked that the matter be provisionally withdrawn for DNA tests to be done on the gun to determine who it belongs to and they were both released.
“It is very disappointing because the Traffic Services made an excellent arrest.”
City of Cape Town Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, is equally disappointed.
“It is extremely disappointing because every chance you get where an active gangster can be prosecuted should be taken and seeing the case collapse whether by avoidable errors or design is disappointing.
“I have requested our investigators to look into the matter,” Smith said.