A Tanzanian man accused of running a perlemoen processing facility will make his first appearance in the Goodwood Magistrates’ Court today after being busted with perly worth R1.7 million.
The suspect was nabbed by the Hawks at his home in Edgemead on Tuesday.
Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase, says: “The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Cape Town together with Crime Intelligence (CI), K9 unit and officials from Department of Environmental Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) arrested a 45-year-old suspect for possession of abalone surpassing R1.7 million.
“A search and seizure operation uncovered an illicit abalone facility at Gideon Malherbe Crescent, Edgemead, during an intelligence driven operation.”
Officers seized 4 817 units of abalone packed in drying racks along with fans and other equipment.
“The dried abalone with a street value of over R 1.7 million along with the abalone processing equipment.
“The suspect will appear in the Goodwood Magistrates’ Court [today].”
monique.duval@inl.co.za