R100 000 perly bust in Macassar

The members of the Maitland Flying Squad arrested a man with an imitation firearm and 209 units of abalone with an estimated street value of R100 000, according to police.

Police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, said the members were patrolling on the N2 Highway near Macassar on Wednesday morning, November 19.

“They saw a suspicious-looking vehicle and decided to pull it over. They searched the vehicle and found an imitation firearm with blank rounds and 209 units of abalone with an estimated street value of R100 000 inside the silver Mercedes Vito.” 

Sergeant Twigg added that the man was arrested for the possession of an imitation firearm and the illegal possession of abalone. He will appear in the Somerset West Magistrates’ Court once charged.

This comes as police continue to uncover multimillion-rand poaching networks along the Western Cape’s coastline.

Last Friday, Operation Lockdown III and the Endangered Species K9 Unit uncovered 6,400 units of abalone worth an estimated R3.52 million  in a drying facility in Primrose Park, Western Cape. Two foreign nationals, one Chinese and one Malawian, were arrested and will appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The bust followed a major seizure in Rawsonville in September, when officers intercepted a truck carrying 13,341 units of abalone, valued at R3.3 million, en route to Cape Town. Two suspects were arrested and are set to appear in the Worcester Magistrate’s Court.