Six suspects aged between 26 and 60 are to appear in the Cape Town Regional court this morning for charges relating to possession of abalone and managing a drying facility.
On Sunday, 23 April 2023 the National Intervention Unit (NIU) reacted on information received from Crime Intelligence regarding two vehicles that were en-route to Cape Town and possibly transporting abalone.
A description of the two vehicles were furnished.
The vehicles were then spotted and kept under surveillance by the team.
Later on, one of the vehicles was pulled over and seven (7) bags of wet abalone were found in the boot. The driver of the vehicle was a foreign national and the abalone were seized. At the same time the other identified vehicle was also pulled over and five (5) suspects who are South African were arrested.
Further investigation led the team to a premises situated in Bogain Villas, Century City, Milnerton where the team discovered an illegal abalone processing facility.
At this premises, a large quantity of wet and dried abalone was seized as well as equipment being used to process abalone. The six suspects are to face charges ranging from illegal processing of abalone to illegal possession of abalone.
While at the scene, the Hawks Economic Protected Resources team was activated and they took over the investigation.
