Man arrested over cattle gallstone heist

Police have arrested a 35-year-old man in relation to the theft of valuable cattle gallstones from a meat processor in southern Queensland, Australia. The stones are used in Eastern medicine and could be worth up to $30,000 a kilogram. The Toowoomba Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad (SARCIS) executed a search warrant after receiving a tip-off about the stolen gallstones.



Senior Constable Glenn Evans said they acted quickly as they knew the stolen property could be quickly disposed of. "I understand that they were taken from the processor who was in possession of them," he said. Senior Constable Evans said while theft cases relating to cattle gallstones were uncommon, he believed the collection of them was not.

"Most cattle, depending on their age, have gallstones and I understand there is a market for them," he said. "I'd suggest that most of the [meat processing] plants throughout the country collect these stones and sell them as a by-product." Gold Coast based cattle gallstone trader Jenny Murtagh has been in the business for 30 years and she was called to Toowoomba by SARCIS to help sort, grade and value the stolen stones.



"It's a stone that's created in the gallbladder and it starts with a catalyst like a pearl," she said. "It builds layer upon layer, obviously the bigger the cow, the bigger the gallstone and they are retrieved when the beast has been slaughtered." Ms Murtagh said they were used in traditional Eastern medicine for heart, liver and general wellbeing. "It doesn't cure anything but it's a highly prized product," she said.