Arrest warrant issued for accused conspirator of $68,000 frozen octopus theft from Geraldton wholesaler

An arrest warrant has been issued for one of the men alleged to be involved in the theft of more than two tonnes of frozen octopus from a Geraldton business. Police last month charged three men over the incident, alleging frozen octopus to the value of $68,000 was moved from Geraldton to Perth in a refrigerated truck. According to police, a Perth man rented the truck and drove it to Geraldton, before taking to Abrolhos Octopus wholesalers on Marine Terrace. Itis understood the man used an angle grinder to force his way through a locked gate, where he then used a forklift to lift three pallets of octopus into the truck. The man made his way back to Perth before police arrested him in his Bedford home later in the evening. While he is not due in court until Thursday, November 21, two Geraldton locals charged with conspiring to commit an offence had their matters heard in court on Friday. Alan Edward McDonald, 52, failed to appear in Geraldton Magistrates Court on Friday and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Meanwhile, co-accused William John Scorse appeared before the courts, speaking only to confirm his name and to say he was seeking legal advice. His matter was adjourned to Thursday, December 12. The pair were alleged to be former employees who helped facilitate the theft by preparing the forklift and the product for the accused. Abrolhos Octopus director Barry Jacobs recently told The Geraldton Guardian he was shocked by the incident. “I don’t really know how to describe them,” he said. “I didn’t really know the former employee very well but the current employee seemed like a nice enough guy. “So yeah, we were all surprised. “It’s not great arriving at work on Friday morning and your whole day is spent dealing with police and insurance companies but we’ve managed to get the product back. “The loss was potentially going to be massive but it’s just a few cartons now that are missing, so it’s not too serious. So we’re glad that it’s all sort of over.”