The Tauranga businessman caught selling more than 9000 kg of fish on the black market during a two month period realising around $52,000 has been jailed for two years six months.
Last month Joung Oh (James) Lee was found guilty of seven charges of knowing acting in contravention of the Fisheries Act to obtain a benefit following a judge-alone defended hearing.
Lee, who was sentenced by Judge Christopher Harding in Tauranga District Court today.
He is the last of seven offenders involved in a major black-market fisheries ring operating in the Western Bay to be sentenced.
The Ministry of Primary Industries says the ring was involved in the illegal disposal of at least 13 tonnes of fish, mainly 12 tonnes of snapper.
Lee's and the other ring members offending was uncovered during a covert surveillance operation by fisheries officers in late 2011 code named Waterfowl.
That included monitoring the activities of his company's trawler Newfish II and watching bins of fish being unloaded from the vessel onto chilled truck while berthed at Tauranga.
The chiller truck used in Lee's offending has been permanently confiscated.
Black market fisherman jailed
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.