Abalone dealers nabbed after car overturns with loot in the boot

An accident scene in Port Elizabeth led to the end of the road for a couple who were seemingly dealing in abalone.

Eastern Cape police said the couple’s illicit activities were discovered when their car overturned on Sunday evening, exposing their loot.

“It is alleged that at about 5.30pm, SAPS Swartkops attended a complaint of an accident on the N2 near Coega IDZ [Industrial Development Zone]. On arrival, they found a silver Opel Corsa had overturned. After assessing the damage of the vehicle, they discovered eight bags containing 809 units of abalone in the boot,” police said in a statement.

“The couple, aged 33 and 23, were driving from Port Alfred allegedly en route to Korsten,” the statement continued.

The two, who seemingly did not sustain serious injuries, were arrested on the scene.

They are to appear in the Motherwell magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

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