A 48-year-old Malaysian man is due to make his first appearance in the East London Magistrate court on Thursday for the transportation and possession of Abalone.
Captain Anelisa Feni of the Hawks says the suspect was arrested on Tuesday afternoon as a result of an intelligence driven operation between the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, K9 unit, Port of Entry unit and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Feni says members followed up on information which revealed that there was an Abalone farm at Nahoon Valley in Beacon Bay and that Abalone would be delivered at the farm on Tuesday and transported to Johannesburg during the same day.
When police arrived at the farm, four suspects fled the scene but a 5th was arrested as he tried to make his escape in a white BMW.
Forty kilogrammes of de-shelled Abalone in the BMW were seized and an additional 130 km's of Abalone in the house were also confiscated.
The value of the abalone has been put at approximately R97 000.
Captain Feni said equipment used in the drying, storing and processing of Abelone was also confiscated.
