A suspected abalone poacher will soon appear in court on
charges of reckless and negligent driving, illegal possession of abalone and
resisting arrest.
The man was arrested in Van der Stel on Thursday 15 February.
Richard Coleman, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Traffic
Services, said just before 07:00, three traffic officers of the City were
on patrol along the N2 in Strand when they pulled over the driver of a
black BMW.
“While one officer asked the driver for his licence, another
inspected the vehicle and spotted something on the back seat. When they
enquired about it, the driver sped off and led them on a chase – colliding with
another vehicle in the process – before coming to a halt near Somerset West. He
ran away, but two of the officers gave chase and caught up with him. One of the
officers was injured during the scuffle.”
Coleman said a search of the vehicle uncovered bags
containing 2 162 abalone in the boot and backseat, with an estimated value of
over R400 000. The abalone was handed over to the police and representative of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. – DistrictMail
