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Two weeks after being caught with the second-largest haul of perlemoen in the province, the bail application of the five accused got under way in the Gqeberha magistrate’s court on Friday.
Wei Ping, 31, Weng Shu Ying, 31, Weiling Yen, 23, Zhang Beiping, 49, and Luthando Mabutya, 36, were caught with six tonnes of perlemoen and arrested after police and the Hawks raided a house in Kamma Heights.
Fifteen million rand worth of perlemoen spilling from a bath, several giant pots filled to the brim and dozens of drying racks packed with the prized shucked shellfish was found at the house.
The accused, represented by advocate Jason Thysse, handed in affidavits in support of their bail application.
In their affidavits, they claimed they had no prior convictions or pending court cases, and were willing to surrender their passports to police should they be released on bail.
The court further heard that someone was willing to post their bail at R30,000 each.
All of the accused except Mabutya live in the Western Cape. Their occupations range from sushi chef to shop owners.
Mabutya is a taxi driver from East London.
The state is opposing bail for everyone except Mabutya.
The bail application was postponed to August 18.
HeraldLIVE
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