A 44-year-old man will appear in court on Friday, November 13 after he was found with more than R1-million rand’s worth of abalone in a house in Cape Town.
The suspect was arrested for contravening the Marine Living Resources Act after the number of law enforcement agencies, including the Hawks, searched a house in 3rd Street in Montague Gardens.
“The multidisciplinary team seized wet Abalone weighing 88.6kg and dried abalone weighing 996.07kg with an estimated street value of R1 366 295.75,” said Hawks spokesperson Zini Hani in a statement.
The suspect is expected to face charges of operating an illegal processing facility when he appears in the Cape Town Magistrate’s court on Friday.
In another case, two other suspects in Kraaifontein were arrested for the possession of stolen abalone on Wednesday, November 11.
Kraaifontein SAPS members were busy with crime prevention patrols in Bloekombos when they were alerted that a truck with cargo was hijacked on Wednesday at around 9am in Neptune Street, Paarden Eiland by three unknown suspects. The cargo comprised boxes of frozen abalone destined for the export market. The members tracked the truck with the assistance of the tracking company to a local braai establishment in Lesibane Street, Bloekombos.
“When the police arrived at the truck’s location they noticed the suspects unloading boxes from the container. They fled as soon as they saw the police. Upon further investigation the members found 200 of the 437 boxes of abalone inside the establishment,” said Colonel Andrè Traut in a statement.
“The property owners, a 36-year-old male and his 24-year-old wife were arrested for the possession of presumed stolen property. The hijacked truck as well as all the abalone valued at over one million rand were recovered. The suspects are due to appear in court once they are charged.”
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