Shiping Ye (27) Meifang Lou (46) appeared at Bellville Regional Court yesterday. This follows their arrest on 13 February after the Hawks led multidisciplinary team uncovered abalone worth a total value of R3 162 300.
This abalone was found in an illicit Abalone drying facility in Durbanville, Cape Town. Several drying equipment used to process abalone were seized along with the wet, dried and processed abalone. Meifang Lou was on 15 February, released on R60 000 bail, whilst Shiping Ye remained in custody as he did not have proper documentation to be in the county.
The two pleaded guilty on both charges of receiving, possession and selling as well as transporting and possession of illegally poached abalone.
Subsequently, the Bellville Regional Court sentenced the duo to a fine of R150 000 each. Additionally, the duo was sentenced to five (5) years imprisonment and another additional two (2) years imprisonment. Both sentences are wholly suspended for five years with stringent conditions.
The Chinese nationals voluntarily agreed to be deported back to their county as part of the plea sentence agreement.
Whiles in a separate and unrelated matter, The Hawks’ Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) has dealt a major blow to the illicit abalone poaching syndicate that operated in various premises in the Western Cape and Gauteng province.
Cape Town High Court issued a final forfeiture order of R2 000 000 each against the Michael Norman (34) and David Michael Bannister (48) on 4 February 2019. They were the kingpins that recruited, managed and directed the enterprise of an illicit abalone poaching syndicate.
The two were among the ten suspects who pleaded guilty on various charges that included Racketeering, Money Laundering linked to a syndicate that operated illicit Abalone facilities. A farm worth R 5 million, purchased with proceeds of crime was sold on auction following the Cape Town High Court asset forfeiture order in December 2016.
Consequently, the duo along with five other was sentenced on 14 December 2018 by the Cape Town High Court. Three others later pleaded guilty and were sentenced by the same court on all the charges on 14 February 2019. These various charges related to the illicit abalone poaching were wholly suspended for five years with stringent conditions.
