R2m perlemoen bust
Police smelled something fishy during a routine roadblock and discovered men illegally in possession of perlemoen.
Two men were busted at a routine roadblock on Randfontein Road when they were found in possession of perlemoen (abalone).
The two men driving a stolen white Nissan Pathfinder were stopped on Thursday morning (20 November) when the police smelled something fishy.
The men aged 39 and 41 were arrested and the vehicle and its contents were impounded. Subsequently they were charged for illegal possession of perlemoen.
When the SUV was unloaded, 22 bags of perlemoen weighing approximately 20kg each were discovered. The perlemoen allegedly were dried; the approximate worth of dried perlemoen is R3 500 to R5 000 per kg. The approximate value of the total load is R2 million upwards.
The perlemoen was found in black bags in the back of and the rest of the vehicle. The bags were double wrapped and some were in translucent bags inside black bags.
According to spokesperson for the Randfontein Police, Appel Ernst, “It is not theirs. They must be working for someone.” It is suspected the men are part of a larger syndicate.
The police are investigating the case, searching others linked to these men or to the syndicate.
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