Cape Town – Three abalone poachers were convicted and sentenced in the Khayelitsha Regional Court in Cape Town.
Western Cape spokesperson for the Hawks, Zinzi Hani said Chinese national, Yihang Li, 32, and Jan Jacobs, 43, both pleaded guilty on multiple charges of possession of illegal abalone.
The court ordered the two convicted poachers to each pay R100 000 into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) and that all the abalone seized during the search and seizure operation to be forfeited to the state.
Li and Jacobs were further sentenced to five years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years with stringent conditions on one count of contravening the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998.
The court also slapped the duo with an additional fine of R200 000 with an alternative two year sentence, wholly suspended for five years with conditions, for contravening Regulation 36(1)(b) of Regulation as promulgated under Government notice.
Hani said the convicted abalone poachers were arrested in Table View on October 14, 2020 during a search and seizure operation executed by a a multidisciplinary team that included the Western Cape Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Crime Intelligence as well as officials from Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs (DFFE) from the Western Cape.
In an unrelated matter, Qing Yun Jiang, 56, appeared in the same court and was ordered to pay R200 000 into the CARA.
The abalone seized during his arrest has been ordered to be forfeited to the state as well.
The court also slapped Jiang with an additional R200 000 fine with an alternative two year sentence, suspended for five years with conditions, for contravening Regulation 36(1)(b) of Regulation as promulgated under Government notice.
The court also ordered him to five years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on each of the two counts of contravening the Marine Living Resources Act.
Hani said Jiang was arrested in Milnerton on May 18, 2020.
“Jiang was arrested in Milerton, during an integrated take down operation by members of the Hawks Organised Crime Investigation assisted by Crime Intelligence, K9 as well as members of the Department of Environmental Forestry and Fisheries.
“His co-accused was cleared on all charges,” she added.
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