Police in the Western Cape welcome the hefty sentences handed down to smugglers of abalone at a value of R9 million (pictured). Picture: South African Police Service Facebook page
The South African Police Service has welcomed “hefty sentences” handed down to two abalone smugglers in the Khayelitsha Priority Court last Friday.
The pair were sentenced with a fine of R1 million each and five years’ imprisonment, of which three years are suspended for a period of five years.
This was in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, police said.
A statement on the South African Police Service Facebook page said police regarded the “hefty sentences” as “a stern warning directed at those involved in this lucrative trade”.
Police apprehended the two at a warehouse in Killarney Gardens during a police operation. The abalone confiscated was worth a total value of R9 million.
“We will stop at nothing to break the back of abalone smuggling in this province,” said police.
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