Somerset West police nabbed an alleged abalone poacher and seized 3 807 units of the shellfish with an estimated street value of R3.6 million.
Provincial police spokesman Frederick van Wyk said officers had received a tip-off that a black Audi A4 would be heading through the suburb with the abalone on Friday.
When police approached the car the driver accelerated, but they cornered it on the corner of the N2 and Victoria Road and found bags filled with abalone.
The driver, a 28-year-old man, was arrested and charged with possession of abalone and reckless and negligent driving. He is due to appear in Somerset West Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Seized abalone is taken by Marine and Coastal Management, a division of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Department spokesman Lionel Adendorf said an estimated 30 000 units of abalone had been confiscated over the past six weeks.
The department could not comment on the street value because there were a number of factors influencing the value of poached abalone.
Other recent cases:
l March 8: 24 men, including police officers, appeared in Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court for alleged involvement in a national perlemoen syndicate. An international arrest warrant had also been issued for the suspected kingpin Ran Wei, a Chinese citizen. The charges ranged from illegal possession of abalone to money laundering and racketeering.
The case was postponed to April 13.
Six of the men remain in custody while their co-accused were freed on bail ranging from R500 to R1 000.
* February 22: a consignment of abalone with an estimated value of R5m was found under a blanket in a bakkie on the N2. The flying squad found 40 bags filled with 6 562 units under a blanket. A 55-year-old man was arrested.
* February 10: police seized 5 127 units of abalone worth about R5m and arrested a 32-year-old man on the N2.
* February 8: four men appeared in court in separate cases after they were found with abalone worth an estimated R2.5m.
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