About 5 suspects were arrested for the illegal possession of abalone, in the early hours of Saturday morning, 26 April 2025, at a farmhouse in Douglas, in the Northern Cape.
Two (2) of the five suspects, are Malawian nationals and three (3) are Chinese nationals.
Suspects are between the ages of 18 and 60.
Major General Luntu Ngubelanga, Acting Northern Cape Commissioner, said members of the Provincial Organised Crime Investigations Unit, acted on intelligence received regarding suspicious activities at the property.
It was during a thorough search of the premises, that officers discovered several containers full of abalone.
Ngubelanga also said the Department of Home Affairs will assist with determining the immigration status of the suspects.
The South African Police Service (SAPS), and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, valued the abalone at an estimated R1 970 829.
Two vehicles, believed to be used by the suspects, were also seized, including a Toyota Hilux bakkie and a Nissan NP200.
Picture: SAPS