Three admit blackmarket seafood trading
Three Christchurch men caught in the fisheries investigation Operation Dragon have admitted trading in blackmarket seafood and are remanded for sentence.
The courier, restaurateur, and food operator pleaded guilty to charges under the Fisheries Act in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday.
Derek Sutton Yee, 57, a courier, of Hoon Hay, admitted one representative charge covering four months in early 2015, and Qui Sheng Ying, a 47-year-old restaurateur from Wigram, admitted one charge. They are both to be sentenced on July 20.
Peter Keith Wah, 60, a food operator from Ilam, is for sentence on September 30 after admitting charges of obtaining a benefit by dealing in paua, failing to keep a record of the fish transactions, and allowing the premises of Dumplings on Riccarton restaurant to be used for a Fisheries Act offence.
Judge Brian Callaghan asked for pre-sentence reports to consider their suitability for home or community detention.
The Ministry for Primary Industries investigated Wah and his restaurant last year. It used an undercover officer who sold the seafood to Wah, who has owned the restaurant for about 20 years and is a chef there.
After an initial transaction with the undercover officer involving paua and crayfish, Wah told her: “Just pop in any time. If I am busy my staff know what to do.”
The Ministry said that in eight transactions with the officer, Wah bought 867 paua at $8103 less than the rate for legitimate purchases.
When the investigation ended in June 2015 and the restaurant was searched, crayfish, paua, and flounder were found that were not recorded as being stored on the premises.
Yee is a courier driver but has previously owned and operated a restaurant for about 20 years. Four times when Wah bought paua, Yee transported it from the restaurant to his home in his courier van, and sold some to another man.
Yee sold 147.5kg of black-market crayfish to Daphne’s Restaurant in Upper Riccarton in early 2015. He also sold crayfish to another seafood restaurant.
The Ministry wants the court to decide whether Yee’s courier van and cellphone should be seized.
Ying is a co-director and the head chef who orders food at Daphne’s Restaurant.
Fisheries officers reported secretly observing Yee deliver seafood – apparently crayfish and paua – to the restaurant on a day in March. When the investigation ended, Ying admitted buying crayfish off Yee.
Yee’s financial records showed he had been paid $5232 by Daphne’s Restaurant for 147.5kg of green weight crayfish.
The Ministry says that 127.5kg of crayfish was sold at the restaurant at a profit to the business of $11,405.
The Ministry also commented that the restaurant was able to supply fresh crayfish to customers when other legal competitors had none because it was not available because of weather, economic, or seasonal variabilities.
Category: Focus
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