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SAN DIEGO MAN AT CENTER OF ABALONE CASE
PROBE FOCUSING ON LOCAL BUYERS
Published on October 1, 1994
© 1994- The
Press Democrat
BYLINE: Bony
Saludes
Staff Writer
PAGE: A1
A young San Diego fish buyer played a key role in the
growth of the biggest abalone poaching operation ever
to be broken up in California, a state Fish and Game official
said Friday.
Van Howard Johnson encouraged Sonoma County scuba
divers to provide him huge amounts of abalone meat for
his fast-growing venture to distribute abalone in
Southern California, New York and Asia, Game Warden Dave
Bezzone said.
``At this time, there is a tremendous overseas market in
the Asian countries, with large profits to be made by persons
connected with brokers in those market places,'' Bezzone said.
He said the Sonoma County operation was the largest
ever found in California.
Johnson, 25, owner Ocean Safari Seafood of San Diego,
was one of seven people arrested on Wednesday for alleged Fish
and Game violations and felony conspiracy in connection with
the poaching operation.
He did not return phone calls on Friday.
Bezzone said a group of Santa Rosa scuba divers began
selling small amounts of abalone meat to Johnson a year
ago, but he demanded larger amounts. By September
abalone loads averaging 300 pounds were being flown to
him in San Diego.
``At street prices ranging from $40 to $60 per pound, a
300-pound shipment would be worth at least $12,000,'' he said.
Bezonne said Johnson was arrested on Wednesday while
taking delivery of a 228-pound shipment of abalone meat
in San Diego from the Santa Rosa group. He posted $5,000 bail
and was released from jail.
Bezzone said Johnson, nicknamed Hojo, began by renting
a house near Cazadero where the divers sold their sports
catches to him for $14 a pound, and he later provided them
equipment for tank diving and avoiding detection.
``He encouraged members of the group to take 300 to 500
pounds of abalone meat per week or load year round,''
Bezzone said.
Used radios
The scuba divers took the abalone from various
parts of the Sonoma County coast, including the Longest Yard,
Red Barn, Cardiac Hill and Sawmill Point, he said. The group
used a look-out with a hand-held marine radio to warn the
divers of approaching law enforcement officers, he said.
The divers delivered the abalone to the Santa
Rosa home of Eddie and Debra Blay for cleaning and preparation
before it was taken to the San Francisco Airport and flown to
San Diego, Bezzone said.
Bezzone said Eddie Blay, 34, was the alleged ring
leader of the Sonoma County poaching operation, paying scuba
divers $15 a pound to harvest the mollusks, then reselling the
abalone to Johnson for up to $25 a pound.
Arrested were Eddie Blay and Debra Blay, 34, and divers
Jerry Wade Mitchell, 30, Michael Kagley, 35, Paul Scott
Saunders, 33, all of Santa Rosa, and Eddie Blay's nephew,
Randall Lee Blay, 24, of Redding. An eighth defendant named in
the complaint, Darren Frank Natman, 25, of Santa Rosa, hasn't
been arrested.
The felony conspiracy complaint accuses Debra Blay of
preparing the 228-pound load of abalone meat at her
house last Monday and transporting it to the San Francisco
Airport on Tuesday.
It accuses the others of either taking abalone
from the Sonoma County coast at various times or acting as
shore support for the divers.
Local buyers
Bezzone said the ongoing investigation has begun to
focus on local buyers of illegal abalone, resulting in
the arrest Thursday of a former Sebastopol restaurant owner.
Jin Sun Gee, 73, of Sebastopol, was charged with
purchasing sportharvested abalone from an undercover
game warden. He allegedly bought 23 abalone on Sept. 22
and 26 abalone on Sept. 23.
Bezzone said Sonoma County abalone can be taken
for sport, but it is illegal to sell them.
More arrests of alleged co-conspirators and local
abalone buyers are anticipated in the next few days,
Bezzone said.
Keywords: FISH
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