Cops seize abalone worth R1.5m hidden in car boot

Poached abalone worth about R1.5m was seized in Cape Town on Thursday.

Almost 2,000 shucked abalone were found in a BMW X5 in Table View, said police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk.

The driver, a 35-year-old foreigner, was arrested and will be charged under the Marine Living Resources Act.

Van Wyk said crime prevention unit officers received information that a white BMW was illegally transporting abalone.

“They spotted the BMW X5 and pulled the vehicle over in Porterfield Road, Table View. Upon searching the vehicle they uncovered plastics bags filled with shucked abalone,” said Van Wyk.

“The suspect was arrested and detained at Table View SAPS..”

In another incident on Thursday, the City of Cape Town marine and enforcement unit and Table Mountain National Park rangers saw a group of divers in the water between Hout Bay and Kommetjie.

“The divers quickly jettisoned their illegal catch and fled. One suspect was eventually caught and arrested by a law-enforcement officer. Nine units of abalone were recovered,” said law-enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason.