Two suspects were arrested after abalone worth R3 million was found in a car in the back of a tow truck.
Members of Gqeberha’s anti-gang and dog unit carried out an intelligence-driven operation on Friday together with members of the Cookhouse police’s highway patrol when the find was made.
According to col. Priscilla Naidu, police spokesperson, the tow truck with a black VW Touareg in the back in Cookhouse was stopped and searched. 3,275 units of abalone were found in the Touareg. The driver of the tow truck and his passenger were arrested and both vehicles were seized.
The two suspects, aged 25 and 57, are expected to appear in the Somerset East Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of illegal possession of abalone.
In another unrelated incident, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Deal Party on Saturday after 1,161 units of abalone were found in his possession. Members of the anti-gang unit were patrolling Grahamstown Road when they spotted a Nissan Hardbody bakkie with water dripping from it. The vehicle was stopped and searched.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
