Lobster dealer accused of intimidation arrested on extortion, threats charges

A 65-year-old lobster dealer accused of threatening and intimidating multiple people in the fishery in southwest Nova Scotia has been arrested again and faces fresh charges related to a $10,000 extortion case.

RCMP Sgt. Jeff LeBlanc said in an interview that Eric David Thibault is allegedly part of an organized crime family operating in the area that is trying to exploit the lucrative lobster industry, and he allegedly organized two people to threaten and extort the victim, a former fisherman, last Thursday.

There's been increasing concern in recent years over arsons, threats and intimidation in the area, at least some of it tied to the lobster fishery. LeBlanc said the RCMP have worked hard to encourage people to come forward.

"The public is definitely tired of this going on," he said Monday. "They know what has to be done, and co-operation — that's crucial. And we're seeing some co-operation that we haven't seen as much in the past. It is positive."

Thibault, along with his son Zacharie David Thibault, 32, and a third man, were arrested Sunday and remain in custody. They are each charged with uttering threats, intimidation and trying to extort $10,000 from the victim.

The three appeared in provincial court in Digby, N.S., on Monday and are scheduled to return to court on Friday. The Crown is opposed to their release.

Previous charges

RCMP have said organized criminals are trying to exert power in the industry, which has been embroiled in tension over allegations that lobster being caught outside the commercial season — including in an Indigenous summer fishery — is being sold on the black market.

LeBlanc said the victim in last week's case, who lives in Saulnierville, N.S., was surprised he was targeted, as he hasn't been part of the fishery for more than a decade. He told police the accused wrongly believed he was speaking out against them, LeBlanc said.

In November, Eric Thibault and his son were charged with intimidation following an alleged encounter near Meteghan, N.S., where lobster dealer Geoffrey Jobert was threatened. His home was shot up just days earlier, although the Thibaults are not charged in that incident.

Jobert, the owner of the family-run Lobster Hub Inc., has said he started receiving threats after he began buying lobster last season from licensed harvesters no longer willing to provide their catch to facilities allegedly purchasing illegally caught lobster.

Eric Thibault was also charged with intimidation in December 2023, accused of threatening a lobster fisherman who was seeking to change buyers. A month later, he was charged with three counts of witness intimidation involving two people at the harbour in Meteghan.

Thibault, who is known in the area by his initials E.T., has been a lobster dealer for years. He is known to drive his Lamborghini around the community, but despite a sizable income faced bankruptcy 20 years ago, blaming his financial woes on gambling, addiction and his love of fast cars.