Nicola Ann Nevard, 49, a former employee of the firm, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday facing 33 charges of theft in a special relationship and one each of money laundering, selling cannabis and possessing Ritalin (an ADHD drug also used recreationally for its stimulant effects).
Joining her was Mosgiel 36-year-old Paul Faavaoga on 26 counts of receiving and two of money laundering.
According to charge sheets, the haul was worth $195,190 and distribution of the crayfish occurred more than weekly.
At its peak, Nevard allegedly provided 110 crayfish worth $13,860 on one day in August.
Nevard’s counsel Noel Rayner said the evidence gathered by police, which was slowly being provided to lawyers, totalled nearly 1000 pages.
‘‘It’s getting to the size of a small book, or a large book,’’ he said.
The arrests came following the execution of three simultaneous search warrants in Dunedin on the morning of December 11.
Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said at the time the joint operation with Fisheries New Zealand had taken several months to come to fruition and involved 3.75tonnes of commercial crayfish.
The alleged theft was reported to police in October and she believed the seafood had been stolen to order, she said.
The losses to Fiordland Lobster were ‘‘huge’’.
‘‘It’s affected us, our business, a lot. It was very disappointing to us and it’s cost us a lot of money.
‘‘But we think the process that the police and MPI have run has been very thorough. They’ve kept us well up-to-date.’’
A restraining order for the King Cobras pad under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act had been obtained and police said that though only two people had been charged, the investigation was officially ‘‘ongoing’’.
Nevard and Faavaoga will be back before the court later this month.
Charges of money laundering and receiving carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.
