The Hawks arrested a 26-year-old Pretoria man for allegedly being in possession of abalone and attempting to bribe them with R10,000 to let him go.
The man was expected to make his first appearance in the Atteridgeville magistrate's court on Wednesday for allegedly contravening the Living Marine Resources Management Act and enticement.
According to the SA National Biodiversity Institute “increasing pressure put on SA abalone by both legal and illegal harvesting had led to the banning of abalone harvesting”.
Hawks spokesperson Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu said the man was arrested in Laezonia, west of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
“The investigation team followed up on intelligence on suspicions of illegal possession of abalone.
“Upon arrival at positively identified business premises, police pounced on the suspect and found boxes full of live abalone inside the freezers.
“During the suspect’s apprehension, the suspect allegedly enticed police officers with an amount of R10,000 for them to let him go.
“Police seized abalone as well as the R10,000 in cash for further investigation.
“More arrests cannot be ruled out and the investigation is continuing,” said Mulamu.
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