Bad smell leads cops to big perlemoen bust

Two men were arrested and R8m worth of perlemoen found inside a Cape Town house after residents complained of a bad smell.

A total of 4,200 units of shucked perlemoen and 16,105 units of dried perlemoen were found inside a house doubling as a processing factory.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said the Cape Town K9 Unit had received a complaint of a bad smell in Rondebosch East on Tuesday.

“At 9.30pm, they approached a house in Fifth Avenue where there was a stench and also the smell of incense.

“On entering the premises, they uncovered an illegal abalone processing facility. In a room alongside the kitchen, there were numerous containers full of shucked abalone, two steel cooking pots and burners connected to a gas cylinder and other equipment.

“In another room, they found a fully equipped drying room, with numerous shelves stacked with abalone.”

Bags and crates containing dried perlemoen were also found in two other rooms.

In an attempt to hide the smell, incense was burning.

Rwexana said more equipment, including gas cylinders, drying shelves and chest freezers, were found in the outbuildings and courtyard.

Two men, aged 21 and 37, were arrested and are due to appear in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.