A multi-disciplinary task team, including the Gqeberha Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit of the Hawks, have arrested two foreign nationals for possession of abalone as well as the illegal operating of an abalone plant.
The duo will appear in court on Monday following their arrest earlier in January.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana says the joint team received information about a particular illegal abalone operating plant at Neave Township.
“The team swiftly responded and conducted the operation where on their arrival at aforesaid plant, two foreign nationals – aged 34 and 47 – were inside busy drying, processing and organising the abalone.”
He said inside the premises 10,510 wet and dry abalone units, weighing 1,061 kilograms, were seized.
The estimated street value of the abalone is believed to be around R4.4 million, Mhlakuvana said.
Several other items were also taken.
Both suspects are due to appear before New Bright Magistrate’s court on Monday, 6 January 2025.
