Two suspects steal $5,000 worth of seafood from Australian butcher

In a move the Christmas Grinch would be proud of, two thieves have nicked about $5,000 ($7,000 AUD) worth of seafood from a butcher in Mount Gambier on Thursday night.

The popular South Australia business captured CCTV footage of two men breaking into a cool room trailer at the Collins Court Butcher on December 21, just days out from Christmas.

In the CCTV footage, two men are seen approaching the trailer around 11:15 p.m., when one of the men break the door open on the trailer with a crowbar.

As the door is flung open, both men rush inside before they reappear carrying boxes and bags of meat and seafood.

Over the next three hours, the men continue to load up on the stolen goods.

Throughout the robbery, the suspects are seen exiting the camera’s field of view by walking behind a stock crate.

Store owner Mick Lamond said the men were likely sorting the stock and putting it into a vehicle.

Lamond told NCA NewsWire he believes the culprits to be “locals to the area”.

When staff arrived to work on Friday morning, Lamond said there was nothing out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until they opened the trailer, they realized they had been robbed.

“The trailer was locked when I left (on Thursday night) so when we opened it up this morning I just thought ‘what on earth is going on?” said Lamond.

With the butcher only using the cooler trailer during busy times for extra storage, like Christmas, customers have been left baffled by the brazen acts of the two suspects.

“Karma will come in the shape of excessive food poisoning, cause who can store such a large amount of seafood at the correct temperature,” one person wrote on the store’s Facebook page.

Another added: “Hopefully they’re allergic to seafood”.

With a busy few days ahead of him, Lamond said “it’s business as usual” while the team pushes on to meet their customers Christmas orders.

“When it first happened, we were lucky enough to round up enough stock to replace what’s been stolen,” he said.

“Customers have been understanding if we’re short on something”.

One thing that remains in short supply for the butchery is green prawns, with those whose orders have been impacted offered whole cooked king prawns instead.

Lamond said he estimates the amount to have been stolen to sit between $3,000 and $5,000 dollars.

“We’ve reported it to police and the investigation is still continuing,” said Lamond.

The brazen heist comes as the Christmas rush officially begins on Saturday in the inner-city Sydney suburb, Pyrmont.

Hundreds were seen getting in early to pick up their fresh seafood at Sydney Fish Markets.

More than 100,000 shoppers are expected to head to the docks during the 36-hour marathon shopping race.

Across the next 36 hours, over 350 tonnes of seafood will be sold, including 120 tonnes of prawns and about 70,000 oysters.