Cops make R5mil abalone bust
Police in Cape Town on Thursday arrested seven suspects and seized abalone worth R5 million.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said that at around 8:30am, a Cape Town K9 unit carrying out crime prevention and visible policing patrols in the Brackenfell area, received a complaint about a suspected abalone factory on a farm in the vicinity.
Members responded to the complaint at the Robin Hill Farm.
“Upon their arrival they were confronted with a strong stench on the property. As they moved closer they saw seven suspects offloading black bags from a white Hyundai LDV. The suspects fled from the members into the house, but they were all apprehended on the scene,” Van Wyk said.
“On close inspection they discovered an abalone storage factory. Two rooms of the storage facility was utilized for drying of the abalone and the garage for washing the abalone. A total of 39,627 units was counted (dried, cooked and fresh) worth an estimated street value of R 5 million.”
The abalone was confiscated and handed over to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The seven suspects, aged between 27 and 62 years old, include four Mozambican nationals and three South Africans. They are due to appear in the Kuilsrivier Magistrate’s Court soon on a charge of possession of abalone.
ANA
File photo: Gallo Images