A man has been arrested by Cape Town police following up on an explosion at an illegal abalone processing facility in Maitland.
Police said that the suspect was arrested in Elsies River on Monday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said the arrest followed police investigations into the explosion and discovery of the abalone processing facility in Maitland on Thursday.
" Investigations led the detectives to an address in Oasis Street, Elsies River, where a 27-year-old suspect was arrested. It is suspected that he fled the scene of the explosion."
Numerous items of equipment used in illegal abalone processing facilities were recovered.
"This included, among others, a large steel cooking pot, a scale, various gas cylinders and burners, drying shelves, fans, plastic containers and also bags of salt," Traut said.
The suspect will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, facing charges under the Living Marine Resources Act.
- African News Agency (ANA
