A Bacchus Marsh man has been arrested for fleecing Chinese wool buyers after he allegedly swapped high-quality wool bales with lower quality ones before shipping them out.
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The 47-year-old was arrested on Tuesday in the inner-western Melbourne suburb of Spotswood and is expected to be charged with theft and deception related offences.
A property in Laverton North was also searched, with wool samples and documents seized.
The swaps occurred between May and June, with buyers in China discovering the thefts once the low-quality bales arrived months later, Victoria Police said in October.
Police were committed to catching the perpetrator as they did not want the Australian wool industry's reputation to be damaged, Detective Inspector Jamie Templeton said on Wednesday.
“We know that these kinds of incidents can have serious ramifications for the farming community with impacts on productivity, income and livelihoods,” Detective Inspector Templeton said.
“Police take these reports very seriously and we want to reassure the farming community that all incidents are being investigated to the full extent.
“We have an agricultural liaison officer program, which is a collection of members across the state who have expert skills in investigating these types of crimes.
“We will keep the community updated on these issues and the continued efforts of police to combat criminal activity in the farming and agricultural industry.”
China imports about 75 per cent of Australia's wool, making it a lifeblood for growers.
Wool prices have soared in recent weeks following a bumper season.
