Nova ScotiaA 66-year-old lobster dealer that RCMP allege is the ringleader of a crime group in southwest Nova Scotia is accused by police of intimidating an undercover officer while she was a passenger in his Lamborghini driven at double the speed limit.Eric David Thibault accused of cocaine trafficking, already faces charges linked to lobster industryListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An RCMP sign is shown at the force’s Nova Scotia headquarters in Dartmouth, N.S. (Robert Short/CBC)A 66-year-old lobster dealer that RCMP allege is the ringleader of a crime group in southwest Nova Scotia is accused by police of intimidating an undercover officer while she was a passenger in his Lamborghini driven at double the speed limit.The reference to the undercover officer is made in court documents outlining the charges against Eric David Thibault, who was arrested this week on allegations of cocaine trafficking, conspiracy to commit arson, intimidation and dangerous driving, along with fisheries offences.RCMP have said that Thibault, along with three others arrested following a 13-month investigation into rising violence in the region of Clare, intimidated people and committed crimes “like they owned” the community.Thibault was already facing several intimidation charges, laid over the last two years, and which are linked to the lucrative lobster industry. None of the charges have been tested in court.RCMP Sgt. Jeff Leblanc confirmed Friday that two additional counts of intimidation laid Wednesday relate to an undercover police officer the force deployed for several weeks at a time to try to learn the daily routine of the suspects and who they were doing business with.In September, police allege Thibault was driving his Lamborghini dangerously. Leblanc said the undercover officer, who was a passenger, wanted to get out, but Thibault allegedly refused to slow down. At one point, Leblanc said, the vehicle topped 200 km/h on the highway.Sgt. Jeff Leblanc is shown at Nova Scotia RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth, N.S., on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Gareth Hampshire/CBC)Thibault is also accused of intimidating the officer by making her fear for her safety, this time at the place where she was staying. Leblanc said Thibault was unaware the woman was a police officer. He declined to describe her cover story.“It’s not a tool that we use lightly,” Leblanc said of the undercover tactic. “It puts everybody at risk when we do so.“However, for our community, and they’ve been basically terrorized for the past several years with this type of behavior from this crime ring, it was the best tool to be deployed to obtain the evidence that we were requiring to proceed forward.”Thibault in custodyThibault is being held in custody. He returns to provincial court in Annapolis Royal, N.S., on Nov. 27 for a bail hearing.Police hosted a community meeting Wednesday night to announce the charges. Yvon LeBlanc, the warden of Clare, said there was a “sigh of relief” from the people who attended.“You could feel a weight lifted off their shoulders, I think, because they seen something actually moving on the file, and it had been going on for a while,” he said.He said while the crimes in the area in recent years appear to have been targeted, they had translated into a broader fear in the community.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORRichard Cuthbertson is a journalist with CBC Nova Scotia. He can be reached at richard.cuthbertson@cbc.ca.With files from Radio-Canada
Alleged head of Clare crime ring accused of intimidating undercover officer with speeding Lamborghini
