Abalone trafficker hasn’t paid a cent of record $1.2m fine

AN abalone trafficker slapped with a record $1.2 million fine is yet to pay a cent more than a decade after he was hauled before the courts.

Abalone poacher David Wei Meng Lee owes more than $1m in fines.

AN abalone trafficker slapped with a record $1.2 million fine is yet to pay a cent more than a decade after he was hauled before the courts.

David Wei Meng Lee is Tasmania’s biggest debtor as a result of his illegal abalone operation.

Despite both Tasmania’s Court of Appeal and the nation’s High Court reaffirming the fine, Lee has thumbed his nose at authorities with records showing he is yet to make a dent in the outstanding sum.

Lee isn’t alone in taking taxpayers for a ride.

Flora Ou, busted separately for abalone trafficking, is the state’s second biggest debtor.

The former Bridgewater resident still owes taxpayers $330,474 from a $340,200 fine handed down in 2012 after she trafficked 420kg of abalone to feed her gambling habit.

Lee, a Gold Coast businessman, was busted trading up to 10,000 black market abalones between 2001 and 2002 in a large scale and sophisticated scam.

The fraud was uncovered by the joint Tasmania Police and National Crime Authority Operation Oakum which targeted the illegal processing of abalone in Tasmania for export to Asia.

Lee, who was convicted of five counts of illegal fish possession in 2006, was one of 17 people charged by Oakum.

Lee was onselling the abalone to predominantly Asian tourists on the Gold Coast after arranging illegal consignments through two Hobart intermediaries Jeffrey Thomas Ho and Peter James Barrett.

Ho and Barrett were involved in processing abalone at Barrett’s unlicensed factory using mainly poached abalone.

During Lee’s sentencing Justice Shan Tennent highlighted abalone’s “incredibly valuable” economic importance to Tasmania.

Because of the size of the crime she handed down a special pecuniary penalty of $1,226,000 but acknowledged there was “ little prospect” of the fine being paid.

Lee was also sentenced to 15-month jail sentence, of which one year was suspended, and required to pay $20,000 of his fine within two weeks of being released from custody.

But he also failed to pay the smaller fine.

In the past authorities have lost track of the Malaysian-born Lee and previously launched an investigation to find him.

A Justice Department spokesman would not say whether his whereabouts were still unknown, citing “privacy concerns” despite previously having published his name, street address and financial information.

“The Monetary Penalties Enforcement Service has a range of options available to enforce payment of fines, including license suspensions, redirection of earnings, seizure of property or assets, and publication of debtors,” the spokesman said.

“Enforcement is particularly difficult when the debtor’s location cannot be established.”