Two foreign nationals are due in the Kuils River Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 13 August after police seized more than 9 000 units of dried abalone at a storage facility in Brackenfell Industrial area.

A 49-year-old Chinese man and a 36-year-old Tanzanian man were arrested during an intelligence-driven operation on Tuesday 11 August, before the abalone could reach its intended destination.

Intelligence-led operation

Police said information about the storage facility was received and followed up by officers from the Kuils River Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and the Maitland Flying Squad.

The identified vehicles were spotted and pursued, and the facility was searched. Inside, officers found 9 439 units of dried abalone. The value had not yet been determined.

Vehicles seized

Two vehicles used in the operation, a Hyundai iX35 and a GWM pickup truck, were confiscated.

The two suspects face charges of possession of abalone without documentation and are scheduled to appear in the Kuils River Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

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