Thirty-eight-year-old accused of taking the stones, which can be worth $20,000 a kilogram, over six months from abattoir in Oakey, near Toowoomba

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A southern Queensland man has been charged for allegedly stealing cattle gallstones from an abattoir outside Toowoomba.

The 38-year-old is accused of stealing the gallstones, which are prized in eastern medicine and can be worth $20,000 a kilogram, over six months from the Oakey slaughterhouse.

The Toowoomba stock and rural crime investigation squad this week raided a property at Cranley and a 38-year-old man was charged. He will appear in the Toowoomba magistrates court on 23 June.

“Having dealings with the industry … we know that in the abattoir game they do actually lock up and secure these gallstones, because of their value, but it’s definitely not something we’ve come across too often,” said Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Murphy of the Toowoomba stock and rural crime investigations squad.

Murphy said police had to act fast because the small gallstones are easy to dispose of.

“There was a good chance they were going to be in the fridge,” he said. “If they weren’t in the fridge we would have been looking all day.”

Cattle gallstones are used in alternative medicine to treat hepatitis and other liver and gall bladder-related ailments.



They form in a variety of shapes and sizes, and their value is determined by colour, texture, size and dryness.



“It appears to me a bit like valuing gemstones - you have good ones and bad ones,” Murphy said.