Three men, including two Chinese nationals, are expected to appear in court in June after the Scorpions arrested them and confiscated more than three tonnes of perlemoen (abalone) and R263 000 in cash, the elite unit said on Thursday.
In a statement, the Directorate of Special Operations said it acted on a tip-off about a syndicate involved in buying and selling poached perlemoen. They raided premises in Kleinmond, Parklands, Milnerton, Claremont and Woodstock in the Western Cape.
Searching the Big Cedar Fishing Company in Kleinmond on Tuesday, officers from various law-enforcement agencies found documentation, computer equipment and 529kg of dried perlemoen, plus 363kg of wet perlemoen.
No documentation could be presented to prove lawful possession of the abalone. The value of the seized delicacy was estimated to be more than R1-million.
In a simultaneous raid at the other premises, law-enforcement officers arrested Denver Langenhoven, the owner of fish-exporting company Abzurd Seafood Products. At the business location, 2,5 tonnes of perlemoen was confiscated, together with documentation and a computer.
In Parklands, Long Cai Wu was arrested, with police seizing R250 000 cash, documentation and a computer. In Milnerton, Zhiming Yuan was arrested and found to be in possession of R13 000 cash.
All three appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, facing charges relating to the collection, control and possession of perlemoen.
Langenhoven was released on R50 000 bail with strict conditions, including house arrest. Wu was released on R550 000 bail, secured by R50 000 cash and his house offered as security. He was also placed under house arrest and needs to report to the police station daily. Yuan was not granted bail.
The matter was postponed to June 7 for further investigation. — Sapa