On Monday, the high court in Gqeberha granted a preservation order for a rubber duck worth R15 000 in an ongoing abalone investigation.
Spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana says that in November last year, members of the stock theft unit in Jeffreys Bay received information about the boat containing abalone, which was subsequently confiscated.
Calvin van Rensburg, 39, Ashwell van Rensburg, 32 and Amnkele Jacob, 29, were arrested when they could not give a reasonable explanation about the abalone in their possession.
Warrant Officer Mhlakuvana says the criminal investigation is still ongoing, and the matter will go to trial on April 3, 2025.
He says the Asset Forfeiture Unit has now taken the boat as it was used in the commission of a crime.
