Two suspects were arrested when they were found in possession of abalone worth more than R1.9-million in Edgemead, Cape Town on Monday, November 16.
The Hawks Serious Organised Crime team together with Crime Intelligence and officials from Department of Environmental Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) uncovered the illegal operation.
“The joint team conducted a search and seizure operation where they uncovered an illegal abalone facility at Kewridge in Edgemead where members recovered a total of 8776 dried and 26 shucked abalone worth an estimated street value of more than R1,9-million,” said Hawks spokesperson, Zinzi Hani in a statement.
The two suspects are expected to face charges of operating an illegal processing facility when they appear in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, November 18.
This is the second major abalone seizure in less than a week by the multidisciplinary team, as authorities continue to crack down on illegal abalone facilities in Cape Town.
Last week, on Wednesday, November 11, one suspect was arrested for contravening the Marine Living Resources Act when the team seized a ton of abalone worth than R1-million rand from a house in Montague Gardens.
#sapsHQ Western Cape, Cape Town: #Hawks along with Dept of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries uncover an illegal #abalone facility at Kewridge in Edgemead. Duo arrested. #EnviroCrimes MEhttps://t.co/l3zBo31dyY pic.twitter.com/XAw29yq0lz
— SA Police Service ?? (@SAPoliceService) November 16, 2020
Picture: Twitter/@SAPoliceService