A man from Ingonish has been charged with mischief after a fiberoptic cable that lies under the sea off the coast of Aspy Bay, had been damaged.

RCMP say it was on Christmas Eve, 2024, when the undersea cable, part of the telecom or telecommunications infrastructure connecting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, had been severed.

The 33-year-old was arrested, December 10, 2025, after a vessel moored at a wharf in Ingonish, was searched, and electronics to support the charge were seized.

“This investigation was complex in part because of the difficulties in establishing or attending the scene of the crime,” says Cpl. Cory Stead, Detachment supervisor, Victoria County District RCMP (Ingonish Beach RCMP Detachment). “Partnerships with DFO fishery officers and with the Bell Canada team that repaired the cut cable were an important part of collecting information and evidence.”

The damage was not associated to national security concerns or an attempt to impact essential infrastructure.