Fifteen bags of abalone valued at nearly R1 million were handed over to the authorities after police stopped and searched a bakkie on Marine Drive, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, on Friday 18 May.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the PE K9 unit received information about a suspicious bakkie in Marine Drive and, with the assistance of a private security company, held observation on the vehicle.
“The vehicle was stopped by police and on searching it, nothing suspicious or illegal could be found inside,” Govender said. “The driver was allowed to leave.”
K9 members then combed the immediate area and in nearby bushes they found 2500 abalone, weighing 625kg.
No arrests were made, Govender said. The abalone, with an estimated value of R937 500, was removed for handing over to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Sea Fisheries.
“The duty of the protection of marine life from illegal poachers, especially abalone, rests on the SAPS,” Govender said.
