Armed Robbers Are Now Targeting These Valuable Shellfish
As poaching reduces wild abalone stocks in South Africa, criminal syndicates have begun robbing factories and farms, even taking security guards hostage.
Cape Town, South AfricaThe hit happened shortly before midnight. According to police, two vans pulled into Gansbaai Harbor, a small fishing port outside Cape Town, South Africa, and stopped at a factory beside the slipway. More than 10 armed men climbed out and hustled through a side gate, kidnapping four guards and making off with over 1.6 tons of dried abalone, worth more than $220,000.
Heists like this one, which took place on September 24, are becoming more common in South Africa’s abalone industry as wild stocks of the shellfish decline. Abalone is a status food in China, selling for more than $90 a pound alongside other dried marine delicacies like sea cucumbers and shark fin.
During the past 25 years, according to data from
