A swift response by Hermanus police has ensured that a man caught transporting illegal abalone spent the weekend behind bars, Western Cape police said on Sunday.
Police arrested the suspect while he was off-loading a huge amount of abalone in the bushes in the Hermanus area, east of Cape Town on Friday, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said.
A total of 5138 units of abalone worth an estimated R500,000 were seized. Two vehicles and two handheld radios were also confiscated. The 31-year-old man was arrested and would appear in the Hermanus Magistrate's Court on Monday.
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"By arresting the runners in this illegal industry the police are creating an opportunity to get to the kingpins in order to stop the depletion of our marine resources," Rwexana said.