The provincial management of the Western Cape police welcomed the arrest of five suspects between the ages of 25 and 30, who were arrested for possession of West Coast rock lobster without a permit on Sunday night (19 November).
According to a statement, around 19:30 police members attached to Operation Restore conducted an intelligence-driven operation when they acted on information about the trafficking of crayfish in a white Ford Ranger on a flatbed tow truck travelling on the N2 near Macassar towards Cape Town.
Members spotted the tow truck on the highway and pulled over the vehicle. The occupants appeared suspiciously nervous and the members conducted a search of the vehicle.
During the search the members discovered and confiscated 397 West Coast rock lobster, 6 069 lobster tails, a Ford Ranger, a FAW flatbed tow truck as well as five cellular telephones. The estimated value of the seized lobster is still to be determined by officials attached to the department.
“As a result of the seizure the members arrested the five suspects and detained them on a charge of possession of West Coast rock lobster without a permit,” the statement added. “They are scheduled to appear in the Somerset West Magistrates’ Court, once charged.”
