Something fishy
2003-11-25 20:41
Cobus Coetzee
Nelspruit - Seven women are scheduled to appear in Nelspruit regional court on Wednesday.
It is claimed they smuggled more than 900kg of seafood across the border from Mozambique into South Africa.
Police arrested them east of Nelspruit on the N4 highway near the Crocodile Gorge on Monday and believe they crossed into Mpumalanga at the Lebombo border post.
The women's bakkie had broken down and police on patrol stopped to offer them help, only to notice a strong fish smell coming from a trailer.
The officers found 740kg of mussels and 180kg of fish - including kingfish, white steenbras, codfish and eel - hidden under bags of marogo.
Police confiscated the seafood and alerted Mpumalanga Parks Board officials who are keeping it refrigerated.
"The seafood will be kept refrigerated until the end of the trial and then will be destroyed," said inspector Henk Venter of Nelspruit police.
The seven women are being held at Nelspruit police station.
It's not yet known if they're Mozambican or South African.
It is illegal to import any seafood into South Africa without a permit.
- African Eye