Five from Big Bend nabbed in federal fish sting
Posted: July 25th, 2008, 1:31 pm
Five men from the Big Bend and two from South Georgia have been indicted in federal court for purchasing fish that could not be legally caught or sold in Florida.
The 57-count federal indictment, returned last week in U.S. District Court in Albany, Ga., details how the men allegedly mislabeled fish, falsified documents and moved marine fish illegally across state lines, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Guy and James Stovall, owners of Road Runner Seafood Inc. in Colquitt, Ga., allegedly worked with fishermen and two seafood dealers in Florida — Brown's Seafood in Medart and Robbie's Seafood in Perry — to illegally purchase fish.
The fish were red drum (redfish), spotted sea trout, red snapper, red grouper and gag grouper caught and sold during closed seasons. Vietnamese catfish also were sold as grouper, according to the commission. Representatives of the seafood businesses could not be reached for comment.
Investigators said the value of the fish exceeded $200,000. The two-year investigation was conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The seven defendants either have been arrested or have been issued summons requiring them to appear in court in Albany on Aug. 13.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... EAKINGNEWS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The 57-count federal indictment, returned last week in U.S. District Court in Albany, Ga., details how the men allegedly mislabeled fish, falsified documents and moved marine fish illegally across state lines, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Guy and James Stovall, owners of Road Runner Seafood Inc. in Colquitt, Ga., allegedly worked with fishermen and two seafood dealers in Florida — Brown's Seafood in Medart and Robbie's Seafood in Perry — to illegally purchase fish.
The fish were red drum (redfish), spotted sea trout, red snapper, red grouper and gag grouper caught and sold during closed seasons. Vietnamese catfish also were sold as grouper, according to the commission. Representatives of the seafood businesses could not be reached for comment.
Investigators said the value of the fish exceeded $200,000. The two-year investigation was conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The seven defendants either have been arrested or have been issued summons requiring them to appear in court in Albany on Aug. 13.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... EAKINGNEWS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Dayum, somebody gonna go to jail.