-Edited by Bev Mortimer-
The EC arrested three people in two different abalone busts for being in possess ion abalone worth more than R3m yesterday and Friday.
In the first incident, on Friday, the SAPS said this morning that on 14 July an intelligence-driven operation conducted by the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation (Anti-Gang Unit) in Gqeberha, with SAPS Cookhouse Highway patrol and Gqeberha K9 unit, arrested two suspects, aged 25 and 57, and confiscated abalone with a street value of about R3-million
At about 8:10 am the team stopped a flatbed tow truck, with a black VW Touareg on the back of it, in Cookhouse. Following a search of the vehicle, SAPS found it loaded with 3275 units of wet abalone.
The driver of the truck and a passenger were arrested and both vehicles were confiscated for further investigation. The suspects are expected to appear in Somerset East magistrate court tomorrow, 17 July, on charges of illegal possession of abalone.
In another unrelated incident yesterday the SAPS said at about 3:23 am Anti-Gang Unit members arrested a 39 year-old man in possession of 1161 units of abalone. The SAPS officers were patrolling in Grahamstown Road in Deal Party when they noticed a vehicle, a Nissan Hardbody, dripping with water.
The vehicle was stopped and abalone was discovered. The suspect is detained on a charge of illegal possession of abalone and will appear in the Gqeberha magistrate court tomorrow
Colonel Priscilla Naidoo says:“Creative abalone criminals cannot fool police. While criminals may try to be innovative, law enforcement is committed to protecting the safety of our citizens, including the preservation of endangered species through intelligence, expertise. They are determined to stay one step ahead of criminals.
“These arrests serve as a deterrent and warning to poachers involved in the illegal harvesting, transportation and trading of abalone and emphasises the consequences that individuals involved in such activities may face.”
