Chinese nationals Chaoyuan He (28) and Jie Jun Liang (27) were sentenced at the Khayelitsha Priority Court on Monday for their involvement in an illegal abalone processing operation uncovered during a joint operation by law enforcement agencies in Bellville.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, Crime Intelligence Counter Narcotics and Gangs Western Cape, and the Department of Forestry, Fishery and the Environment collaborated to execute a search warrant at a premises in Welgemoed, Bellville, back in October 2021.
According to IOL, his search revealed an illegal fish processing facility where 11 321 units of dried abalone, valued at approximately R6.5 million, were seized.
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Following their arrest, Chaoyuan He and Jie Jun Liang entered into a plea agreement with the State. They faced charges related to operating an illegal fish processing establishment and the illegal possession of abalone, contravening the Marine Living Resources Act.
Both men were sentenced to a fine of R1 million or five years imprisonment, which is wholly suspended for a period of five years.
Additionally, Liang received a 12-month suspended sentence for contraventions of the Immigration Act.
Confiscation orders were also granted against both individuals, with Chaoyuan He ordered to pay R200 000 and Jie Jun Liang ordered to pay R50 000 into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (Cara).
The case involving the two Zimbabwean nationals arrested at the scene was postponed to 9 May to finalise plea agreements.
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Picture: Heinrich van den Berg / Gallo Images