The police in the Western Cape are intensifying their efforts to stop the illegal trade of marine resources, which poses a threat to the economy and contributes to serious crime.
The Western Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie said that the provincial Tactical Response Team (TRT) arrested three individuals, a 53-year-old Chinese national and two Zimbabwean nationals aged 28 and 31, in an abalone seizure.
“It is believed to be one of the biggest abalone busts in this province in recent years,” said Pojie.
On Sunday, September 15, TRT members received information leading them to an abalone storage facility in Rylands, near Philippi.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers noticed a suspect attempting to flee from the entrance. The man, a Chinese national, was arrested after a short chase.
Inside, officers discovered an abalone processing operation, where two Zimbabwean nationals were detained while handling a large amount of wet and dry abalone.
The police confiscated 11,485 wet and 15,200 dry abalone, along with equipment valued at approximately R10.3 million.
The suspects are due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, September 17, facing charges of the illegal possession of abalone.
In a separate incident, TRT officers in Nyanga seized a vehicle carrying 2,505 units of abalone after the driver fled. The suspect is yet to be arrested.
The provincial police have praised the officers for their determination in combating the illegal depletion of marine resources.
IOL News