Multi-million-rand poaching operation in South Africa busted

A large-scale, multi-million-rand, illegal abalone poaching operation at Robben Island has been intercepted.

The operation was conducted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), the South African Police Service (SAPS), the City of Cape Town Marine Unit, and other enforcement agencies.

Abalone is a large marine snail found along the country’s rocky western and eastern coasts, thriving in shallow reefs with kelp and sea urchins.

It is a prized delicacy in East Asia, especially China, where it symbolises luxury and is often served at celebrations, while its iridescent shell is also prized for decoration.

Highly valuable, up to $300 per pound, abalone is sought for its rarity, slow seven-year growth, and status as a prestige or aphrodisiac dish.

On 22 September 2025, DFFE Fishery Control Officers together with the other law enforcement officers intercepted a truck with dried abalone near Rawsonville in the Western Cape.

The truck was transporting 13,341 dried abalone, which weighed approximately 840 kilograms and had an estimated value of R5 million.

The next day, law enforcement officers discovered an abalone poaching operation which involved approximately twenty divers.

In a joint statement, units said that despite the difficulties posed by rough terrain and the strategic concealment tactics used by the divers, enforcement teams were assisted by the SAPS drone unit.

As such, they managed to apprehend nine suspects and recover diving equipment and gear.

A much bigger crisis

Terence Corrigan from the Institute of Race Relations wrote how “once a regulated industry, poor policy implementation, economic shifts, and syndicate operations have driven rampant poaching.”

The illicit abalone economy in South Africa stems from the species’ slow reproduction, making over-harvesting a long-recognised threat.

Controls via permits and total allowable catches (TACs) were in place from the 1960s, but political and policy shifts in the 1990s were poorly managed, reducing TACs and spurring resentment among fishermen, said Corrigen.

Many turned to poaching as foreign demand, a weakening rand, and high market prices made illegal harvesting lucrative. Between 2000 and 2016, nearly 40,000 of 55,863 tonnes exported were estimated to have been illegally sourced.

Organised crime emerged around this trade. Chinese syndicates, often connected to other wildlife crimes, and South African gangs collaborate: gangs harvest and transport abalone, sometimes coercing local communities, while syndicates pay in cash or drugs.

Abalone is dried at curing centers and smuggled domestically or to neighboring countries, ultimately reaching Asian markets, especially Hong Kong.

The trade is estimated to generate up to $23 billion annually.

Government efforts, Corrigan said, have largely failed due to poor enforcement, lack of resources, and corruption, with some fisheries officials redirecting confiscated abalone to syndicates.

Prosecuted cases rarely disrupt operations, and weak international enforcement allows continued exports.

Yet, it threatens the extinction of the species, undermines legitimate fisheries, and fuels corruption and drug trade – which government have promised to crack the whip on.

Earlier this year, SAPS arrested three suspects in the Eastern Cape, who were found with 693 abalone at an estimated street value of R200,000.

“Criminal syndicates must know that South Africans do not tolerate lawlessness and the misuse of our natural assets – those who exploit our natural resources will face the full consequences of the law,” said DFFE Minister Dr Dion George.

“These arrests, and other recent ones, are indicative of our ongoing conservation efforts supported by stronger, tactical law enforcement.”

“I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to every officer and partner involved in these operations. Their hard work and sacrifice are crucial in safeguarding South Africa’s marine biodiversity.”

Corrigan said that “combating this crisis requires coordinated enforcement, international cooperation, and public awareness.”

Several years ago, Cape Town MMC of Public Safety JP Smith wrote that “the DFFE is mandated to protect and preserve our marine resources but sadly, has never prioritised the required resources to adequately regulate the industry or adequately enforce regulations.”

“Let alone investigate and prosecute the main role-players implicated within the booming illicit trade.”

This prompted the establishment of the city marine unit, which he said through collaboration, is slowly but surely turning the tide.