Former employees of Butterfield and Vallis who were allegedly involved in an organised theft ring are expected to be charged next month, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Ten people were sacked after management at the warehouse in Woodlands Road, Pembroke, used video surveillance to monitor alleged thefts.

Company President Jim Butterfield said the two to three month surveillance operation revealed around $60,000 of food had disappeared, but the true scale of losses was "considerably more'' because the apparent scam had been operating for some time.

It was reported in July that Police were investigating the thefts at the store.

Mr. Butterfield said the investigation was proving frustrating and long because of difficulty in finding proof.

"We became aware there was a problem in January and that's when we started to follow up. We isolated items and tracked the items, and it became abundantly clear that we had a big problem and it was well organised.'' He added: "We have shored up what might have been a system that perhaps relied too much on honesty and integrity.'' Mr. Butterfield said when he spoke to Police this week to get an up-date on the investigation, he was told charges would "probably be brought before Christmas''.

BUSINESS BUC