A swift response by Hermanus police has ensured that a man caught transporting illegal abalone spent the weekend behind bars, Western Cape police said on Sunday.
Police arrested the suspect while he was off-loading a huge amount of abalone in the bushes in the Hermanus area, east of Cape Town on Friday, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said.
A total of 5138 units of abalone worth an estimated R500,000 were seized. Two vehicles and two handheld radios were also confiscated. The 31-year-old man was arrested and would appear in the Hermanus Magistrate's Court on Monday.
"By arresting the runners in this illegal industry the police are creating an opportunity to get to the kingpins in order to stop the depletion of our marine resources," Rwexana said.
- African News Agency (ANA)
