This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.
Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.
The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.
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A 52-year-old man has been arrested after he was found with 446 units of dried abalone in Brackenfell.
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SA_2023_11_Police detain suspects on charges of possession of prohibited firearms_ abalone_IOL.pdf | 101.83 KB |
These crimes, ranging from illegal wildlife trade to unregulated fishing and the trafficking of rare timber and precious stones, are estimated to be worth between $110 billion and $281 billion annually, positioning them among the most profitable illicit economies worldwide. The report, titled Hidden in Plain Site, is written by Kristina Amerhauser and Robin Cartwright and looks at illicit financial flows (IFFs) related to three specific illicit environmental flows: timber trafficking from Myanmar to China; gemstone trafficking from Mozambique to Thailand; and abalone…
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SA_2023_11_Global environmental crime epidemic fuels multi_billion dollar illicit economy_IOL.pdf | 303.14 KB |
The west coastal waters of South Africa are under siege, not from the waves of the Atlantic, but from an insidious tide of environmental crime that is sweeping away one of its most precious marine resources. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime has sounded the alarm on the rampant illicit trade of South African abalone, with the country's Haliotis midae species, locally known as perlemoen (abalone), facing potential extinction due to soaring demand from East Asia. So rampant is this environmental crime that the Global…
R155 billion!
Ten convicted abalone poachers, five of them employed by the Department Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) at the time of their arrest, were handed hefty sentences in the Western Cape High Court.
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SA_2023_08_Abalone poachers_including ex DFFE employees_jailed_IOL.pdf | 238.83 KB |
Johannesburg - Two suspects were arrested in Gqeberha on Friday after their vehicle was found loaded with 3275 units of wet abalone. It is estimated that the abalone is worth R3 million.
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SA_2023_07_Two suspects arrested after being found with R3 million worth of abalone_IOL.pdf | 139.31 KB |
Four suspects are expected in the Atlantis Magistrate's court after they were nabbed with abalone in their car following a high speed chase at the weekend. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the Atlantis Crime Prevention Unit responded to information early Saturday morning. “When they located the suspicious vehicle, they ordered the driver to stop.
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SA_2-23_07_LISTEN_ Four men arrested with 649 units of abalone_IOL.pdf | 634.53 KB |
Cape Town - A warrant of arrest has been issued for a Chinese national who was due to appear in court this week in connection with a R2million abalone bust.
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SA_2023_06_Warrant of arrest for suspect who skipped court after abalone bust_IOL.pdf | 280.94 KB |
Cape Town - The City's Law Enforcement unit continues to arrest suspects for illegal poaching, a crime that, according to Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith, has been linked with firearms and drugs in the Western Cape. Two suspects found in possession of abalone worth an estimated R1.7 million were arrested on Tuesday following a car search by the City's law enforcement team on the R300 highway.
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SA_2023_06_Two suspects got arrested in possession of abalone worth R1.7 million_IOL.pdf | 352.54 KB |
Cape Town - As abalone and crayfish poaching continued unabated in the Overstrand, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has deployed additional resources to fight the scourge. On June 2, authorities found 4 108 abalone, with an estimated street value of R2 million, abandoned in a vehicle in 7th Street in Voëlklip, Hermanus.
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SA_2023_6_Department of Forestry_Fisheries and the Environment clamps down on abalone poaching_IOL.pdf | 305.77 KB |
Cape Town - Two men have been charged with possession of abalone after they were caught red-handed with R1.2 million worth of abalone at a house in Century City.
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SA_2023_06_Suspects in possession of R1.2 million worth of abalone arrested in Century City_IOL.pdf | 218.65 KB |
Durban - Two men were arrested and charged for illegal possession of abalone worth R3 million after a high speed chase between police and a Nissan Navara, Eastern Cape police said.
Cape Town - A foreign national is expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Wednesday after he was found in possession of abalone worth over R634 000.
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SA_2023_05_Foreign national bust with over R3 million abalone in Cape Town_IOL.pdf | 304.79 KB |
Collaboration between SAPS Cookhouse and Graaff-Reinet members saw the arrest of two men in connection with the discovery of abalone worth over R3 million on Tuesday night. Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said at about 7pm, SAPS Cookhouse highway patrol members received information of a blue Toyota Camry and a Porsche Cayenne pulling a trailer, travelling on the R75 from Kariega towards Graaff-Reinet with illegal abalone.
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SA_2023_05_Not gone fishing_gone to jail_ Two held over abalone poaching_IOL.pdf | 151.8 KB |
Cape Town - Swift response by the Hawks National Intervention Unit (NIU) following a tip-off has led to the arrest of six suspects in connection with the discovery of abalone worth more than R2.8 million. The suspects, aged between 26 and 60, were expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's court on Tuesday morning facing charges relating to possession of abalone and managing a drying facility.
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SA_2023_04_Hawks smell something fishy_6 held in abalone bust_IOL_2023.pdf | 156.25 KB |
Cape Town - Four men from Milnerton pleaded guilty and were sentenced following their arrest for the possession of abalone valued at more than R4.8 million.
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SA_2023_03_Abalone poachers plead guilty in Cape Town Magistrates Court_IOL.pdf | 228.88 KB |
Two suspects are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of illegal possession of abalone, reckless and negligent driving and assault on a police official.
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SA_2023_02_Suspects transporting abalone worth R200 000 from Mthatha to Bloemfontein nabbed_IOL.pdf | 219.02 KB |
A Gqeberha man was arrested for suspected abalone poaching in the early hours of January 11, after vigilant Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Metro (NMBM) Police officers spotted a suspicious vehicle, a red Toyota Condor, which was leaking water from the rear end. The man was found travelling with eight bags of de-shelled abalone at around 3.45am in the Summerstrand and Humewood area.
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SA_2023_01_Gqeberha man arrested for possession of 1 620 units of protected abalone_IOL.pdf | 338.94 KB |
Cape Town - A 50-year-old Ghanaian national was sentenced in the Kroonstad Regional Court in the Free State after he pleaded guilty for being in possession of abalone.
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SA_2022_11_Ghanaian national sentenced for possession of over R3m abalone_IOL.pdf | 239.38 KB |
Cape Town - Two men who were caught with R9 million rand worth of abalone have been sentenced to a year behind bars while authorities have warned this is still a very serious crime being committed and is often linked to the drug trade.
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SA_2021_10_Abalone smugglers sentenced while authorities say drugs are often linked to the trade_IOL.pdf | 323.48 KB |
Cape Town - Police in the Eastern Cape have arrested a 38-year-old suspect and confiscated abalone with an approximate street value of R3.7 million.
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SA_2021_07_Eastern Cape suspect busted with abalone worth over R3_7 million_IOL.pdf | 989.86 KB |
Cape Town - A 45-year-old man is expected to appear in the Goodwood magistrate's court on Wednesday after he was found in possession of abalone worth over R1.7 million in Cape Town’s northern suburb of Edgemead.
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SA_2021_06_Suspect arrested in Edgemead with over R1_7m worth of abalone to appear in court_IOL.pdf | 215.03 KB |
Cape Town - The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has joined the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in welcoming the sentencing of a 49-year-old man for the illegal possession and transportation of abalone valued at R2.4 million. Moegamat Amien Fakier was sentenced to a fine of R50 000 or two years' imprisonment when he appeared in the Khayelitsha Priority Court on Thursday last week.
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SA_2021_05_Abalone poacher fined R50 000 for R2_4 million haul_IOL.pdf | 983.63 KB |
A Zimbabwean national and a Chinese national were arrested on Monday after they were busted by the Hawks' with 70 boxes dried abalone worth R9.9 million.
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SA_2021_05_Two foreigners arrested after Hawks bust them with abalone worth R9.9m_IOL.pdf | 1.4 MB |