Perlemoen worth R20m seized at Coega

THREE people were arrested and five tons of perlemoen and equipment worth nearly R20-million were seized in the biggest bust of its kind in the Eastern Cape.

The suspects – two Chinese nationals, whose ages are unknown, and a 28-year-old Port Elizabeth man – were arrested on a farm at Coega and will appear in the Motherwell Magistrate's Court today on a charge of dealing in perlemoen.

Hawks spokesman Paul Ramaloko said the farm, 12km from Port Elizabeth on a dirt road running behind the Coega Hotel near Grassridge, had been kept under surveillance for weeks before the raid by police and crime intelligence members at about 1pm yesterday.

"We do not have an exact number of how many perlemoen were seized or their exact worth," Ramaloko said, estimating it was worth about R20-million. He said police would work through the night counting and bagging the perlemoen. - Tremaine van Aardt