Five arrested after police seize endangered pangolin at Malmesbury petrol station

Five people were arrested after police seized a female pangolin during a suspected sale at a petrol station on the N7 in Malmesbury, the Western Cape police said.

How the arrests unfolded

Police acted after receiving a tip-off about a planned pangolin sale. Officers waited at the meeting point and saw a maroon VW Polo park at the back of the petrol station. They conducted a vehicle search and found a white drum in the boot containing a female pangolin.

“The police were informed that the exchange would take place at a petrol station on the N7 in Malmesbury. They followed up on the information and waited at the meeting point until they spotted the maroon VW Polo. The suspects parked at the back of the petrol station and members swiftly closed in and conducted a vehicle search. In the boot of the vehicle was a white drum containing a female pangolin,”

The suspects, aged between 28 and 53, were arrested immediately and are expected to appear in the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on Monday. They will be charged with possession of an endangered species.

About pangolins

The report notes that a pangolin is a solitary, nocturnal mammal easily recognised by the tough, overlapping keratin scales that cover its body. It states that pangolins are considered the world’s most heavily trafficked wild mammals, poached for meat and scales and pushed toward extinction.

Unrelated police action in Goodwood

In a separate incident, members of the Anti-Economic Crime team seized drugs at a house in Goodwood. Police found 550 grams of crystal meth, 109 mandrax tablets and an undisclosed amount of cash. A 41-year-old female was arrested for possession of drugs and dealing in drugs and will appear at the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Monday, July 20, 2026.