Lobster dealer charged after undercover RCMP operation gets bail again, must stay away from Digby County

A lobster dealer from Digby County facing a slew of charges from an RCMP undercover operation has been granted bail again after being re-arrested last month on criminal harassment allegations.

Eric David Thibault, 67, of Little Brook appeared in Digby provincial court Monday with defence lawyer Allan MacDonald for a bail hearing.

Crown attorneys Len MacKay and Kathleen Hutchinson argued against Thibault’s release.

There’s a publication ban on the evidence and submissions heard by Judge Angela Caseley and the reasons she gave for her decision to release Thibault on a $105,000 bail order.

The judge ordered Thibault to deposit $100,000 with the court and reside with his surety, a woman who pledged $5,000, at an apartment on Brunswick Street in Halifax.

Thibault must obey a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew, wear an electronic monitoring device, surrender his passport and remain in Nova Scotia, but he can only be in Digby County for court appearances.

He cannot go to any federally incorporated wharf or small-craft harbour in the province, except for attending the premises of Wedgeport Lobster Ltd.

Caseley prohibited Thibault from having any firearms and possessing or consuming alcohol or drugs.

She also ordered him to have no contact with six people, including the woman he’s accused of harassing, and stay away from their homes, schools or workplaces.

The judge said Thibault can drive any vehicle registered in his name except his Lamborghini, providing he has a valid licence.

Thibault was one of four men charged in November 2025 following a 13-month RCMP investigation called Project Hammertime. When police announced the arrests, they said Thibault was the leader of a crime ring in the Clare region.

He faces almost 20 charges from the undercover operation, including cocaine trafficking, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and commit arson, intimidation, counselling someone to traffic cocaine, dangerous driving, illegal fishing and breaching release conditions.

He was denied bail in provincial court last November and remained in custody until July 17, when he was released on $50,000 bail following a hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.

MacDonald had applied for a bail review in Supreme Court after earlier charges against Thibault were dealt with in provincial court.

Thibault was acquitted in June on charges of intimidating a lobster exporter and breaching release conditions. Two impaired driving charges were dismissed because police had violated Thibault’s charter rights.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a weapon — a pickup truck — from an altercation with another driver in a parking lot in Comeauville, Digby County, on Feb. 1, 2023. He was sentenced in June to 30 days in jail, deemed served by his time on remand.

In late May, three other intimidation cases against Thibault were dismissed after the RCMP failed to subpoena witnesses.

Two days after his July 17 release, Thibault allegedly breached his conditions. He was in custody until July 23, when he was released again.

On Sept. 11 at about 3:15 p.m., the Meteghan RCMP detachment received a complaint from a woman that a man had had unwanted contact with her numerous times at various locations, including her workplace.

Officers arrested Thibault later that day, at about 9 p.m, and charged him with two counts of harassment and one count of breaching his bail conditions.

Police allege Thibault committed the offences between July 30 and Sept. 11.

One of the charges alleges Thibault harassed the woman by repeatedly communicating with her, either directly or indirectly. The other harassment charge accuses Thibault of “besetting or watching” places associated with the woman.

All of Thibault’s charges will return to court Dec. 1.