Two people were arrested and abalone worth R5 million was seized in a raid at premises in Brakenfell, the South African Police Service’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) said on Wednesday.
Lloyd Ramovha, spokesman for the DPCI, also known as the Hawks, said police arrested a pair, aged 39 and 42, at a house doubling as an illegal abalone processing facility following a “joint intelligence-driven operations”.
“The team followed up on information about a suspicious vehicle allegedly transporting abalone near Brackenfell,” said Ramovha.
“The pursuit led them to an address along River Road, where an abalone processing facility was discovered, resulting in the arrest of the pair, and the subsequent seizure of over 40,000 units of abalone, weighing about 2,233.5kg, which comprised of wet, dried and cooked units valued at just over R 5-million.”
The two suspects were expected to appear in the Kuilsriver Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
– African News Agency (ANA)
