Police have made a major breakthrough in the illicit trade of abalone following the arrest of ten suspects for abalone poaching.
The suspects were nabbed after police acted on information from a member of the public yesterday.
According to Captain Khaya Tonjeni, police spokesperson, members from Jeffreys Bay Stock Theft and Endangered Species, with the assistance of a private company, pounced on the unsuspecting men who were busy poaching abalone near the main beach on Friday, 13 November at about 00:10.
“Nine uncleaned abalone were found stashed in the bushes near Pagoda Street. Police also seized diving suits and two vehicles for further investigation,” Tonjeni said.
The ten suspects, aged between 29 and 42, are due to appear in the Humansdorp Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 16 November on charges of illegal possession of abalone.
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Liziwe Ntshinga, commended the arrest. “Millions are stolen from our natural resources by organized criminal groupings like these arrested ten suspects,” she said.
