The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) in Northern Ireland has frozen property belonging to three Co Down trawler men who were convicted early this year of landing fish stocks in excess of their permitted quota.
The frozen property includes assets belonging to Kilkeel fishermen, Charles Leslie McBride, Charles Hubert McBride, Leslie Clifford Girvan and two fish-selling companies - McBride Fishing Company, of which the McBrides are joint directors and Kilkeel Fish Selling Company, of which Girvan is a director.
All three pleaded guilty to several specimen charges of making inaccurate fish landing declarations at Liverpool Crown Court in January, according to the ARA. Sentencing will take place in December at the conclusion of the confiscation proceedings.
ARA is investigating whether or not, and if so, to what extent, the defendants benefited from their illegal activity of under declaring the nature and value of fishing catches when landing at Kilkeel, Co Down, and Whitehaven, Cumbria, in England - a practice commonly known as landing "black" fish.
"This is one of three cases where we have worked alongside the Marine and Fisheries Agency and shows our determination to recover the proceeds from all types of illegal activity, including those that threaten sustainable fish stocks," said Charlie Dickin, ARA deputy director of operations.