Three people were arrested in Nyanga, Cape Town, on Tuesday for possession of perlemoen (abalone) with a street value of R500 000, Western Cape police said.
Captain Frederick van Wyk said the three were arrested at 8.30am in White City after police received a tip-off.
He said 2011 shucked perlemoen were found in black refuse bags under the seat of a minibus taxi.
The three would appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court, in Cape Town, on Thursday.
It was reported earlier on Tuesday that three men had been arrested near Robben Island, in Cape Town, with perlemoen with a street value of about R45 000.
The Cape Times reported that the men, from Hout Bay, were caught in a stake-out by the police and the fisheries department early on Monday.
They saw a rubber dinghy with its lights off near the island.
As they approached it, the men apparently started dumping bags into the sea.
Police found four perlemoen on the boat and a bag of 42 perlemoen in the water.
Van Wyk told the newspaper the men, aged 20 to 33, were arrested on eight charges, including possession of perlemoen, destroying evidence under the Marine Living Resources Act, and possession of prohibited gear in a listed area.
Their boat was also confiscated. It had no safety and skipper certificates, navigational lights or safety equipment. – Sapa