Two sentenced, scores more arrested as police clamp down on perlemoen poaching.
Wei Hua Li, 29, and Martin Ngale, 35, appeared at Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, in Cape Town, on Friday 24 January after they were found guilty on a charge of contravening the Marine Living Resource Act 18 of 1998.
During Friday’s sentencing, it was also revealed that both suspects had previous cases of illegal possession of abalone, one had been released on parole at the time of his arrest while the other had a pending matter, which was finalized.
Wei Hua Li was sentenced to five years imprisonment, of which two years were suspended for five years with stringent conditions. He also received additional one-year imprisonment for another abalone case.
Meanwhile, Ngale was sentenced to five years of direct imprisonment.
Hawks investigation
The pair was arrested on 25 September 2019 after the Hawks’ serious organized crime investigation led an integrated intelligence-driven operation in collaboration with Crime Intelligence, the K9 Unit and officials from the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
The team seized both wet and dried abalone valued more than R1.8 million, as well as drying equipment during a search-and-seizure operation at the premises situated in Columbine Road, Rondebosch.
More arrests linked to abalone poaching
The sentencing follows South African National Parks (SANParks) rangers nabbing 48 suspected abalone poachers on Thursday 23 January. The men were caught between Keurbooms and Salt River, in the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park.
All 48 suspects, believed to be from Gansbaai, were taken to the nearest police station by SAPS, where more than 142 kg of abalone was confiscated.
According to The Citizen, police also arrested two suspects after uncovering an illegal abalone house in Belville.
Upon investigating the house on Wednesday 22 January, police were involved in a high-speed chase, which led to the arrests of the suspects.
The vehicle contained four boxes of dry abalone, with 1 038 units of illegal abalone, estimated to be worth R811 498, were confiscated.
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Source — African News Agency
