Syndicate linked to R10m perlemoen bust in PE harbour

Container ships which have left South African shores are being recalled for searches as authorities unravel a perlemoen syndicate.

The operation has already resulted in a R10-million perlemoen bust in the Port Elizabeth Harbour.

The perlemoen found in the city’s port was stashed in one of several containers that had left various South African ports in recent weeks, but had since been recalled.

The surprise haul was found on Friday, during a crime intelligence operation involving the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, police and the National Ports Authority.

The haul has already been linked to a crime syndicate operating in East London, which allegedly tried to smuggle it out of the country.

To date, other ships have been recalled to Port Elizabeth under suspicion that their cargo – allegedly linked to the same syndicate – could also contain perlemoen.

Fisheries spokeswoman Carol Moses said they were following up on a tip-off related to a contractor who had originally declared the cargo as containing beef bones. Authorities confirmed the perlemoen confiscated weighed 964kg.

Of the 118 223 units, some undersized, 33 591 were dried, and the remaining 84 632, weighing 7 264kg, were wet and frozen. The estimated value of the perlemoen was about R10.1-million, Moses said yesterday.

The bust came during an inspection and the perlemoen were packed among beef boxes.

“The abalone seems to have been illegally caught in the Eastern Cape, with involvement of a suspected syndicate in East London, where it has allegedly been processed through an abattoir,” she said.

According to officials, the container was destined for China.

“The same abattoir has exported a number of containers during the past few weeks, some of which are still at sea, and in the process of being recalled to Port Elizabeth for searches , ” Moses said.

Asked about the number of containers that had been recalled to Port Elizabeth, she said she could not reveal any of the specifics.

“The investigation is ongoing and is at a sensitive stage,”Moses said.

No timeline could be given as to when the containers would return to South Africa.