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Commander Jasmin Larouche, of the Regional Wildlife Protection Branch, spoke about a dismantling operation of a rare magnitude. Photo courtesy
Baie-Comeau – A poaching network involved in the illegal trade in black bear gall bladders, mainly in the Côte-Nord and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions, has just been dismantled . The operation named Pochette ended Wednesday an investigation started in 2015 with strikes in six cities, including three in the Upper North Shore.
In the region, people suspected of participating in the network were met in the municipalities of Forestville, Les Escoumins and Grandes-Bergeronnes
The Regional Directorate of Wildlife Protection drew up a report on the stroke of 14:00 today. Commander Jasmin Larouche confirmed that the 16 searches carried out since the beginning of the day led to the identification of 33 suspects. They could face 121 charges and fines of $ 328,000.
The charges relate to, among other things, the possession, sale or purchase of black bear gall bladders, the seizure of fur animals and the illegal possession of black bears. The vesicle trade charge alone exposes poachers to a fine of between $ 1,825 and $ 5,475 per head.
A total of 64 people were targeted, whether as potential witnesses or suspects , by the operation Pochette. Some 160 wildlife protection officers in Quebec participated, in addition to three dog squads.
According to Mr. Larouche, the poaching network operated equally in the North Shore and Saguenay-Lac territories. -Saint Jean. The regions of Mauricie and Laval are also concerned, but at a low level.
During the three years of the investigation, a hundred bears were illegally captured to feed the resale network of vesicles on the Asian market. The gallbladder of the black bear is highly prized by some for its medicinal and aphrodisiac properties and properties.
Sometimes the carcbades of the animals were left on the spot and other times taken to recover other parts.
A Profit Trade
Just like the drug trade, the gall bladder trade is very lucrative, the commander said.
The price obtained is based on the weight of the organ. It is detailed at $ 10 per gram, which is to say that for a vesicle considered average, the individual at the base of the network can expect to pocket $ 80 to $ 250. The more an individual climbs the ladder of the system, the greater will be his gain.
By Wednesday's strike, the Directorate of Wildlife Protection wants to leave a message that Quebec refuses to be an actor in the trade of gall bladders, hammered Mr. Larouche, while specifying that the possession, the purchase and the sale are prohibited since 1998.
In 2002, a poaching network had been dismantled. A certain lull had followed. Information from the population in recent years has led officers to resume their investigative work. "Today we see that the network has had the opportunity to restructure," concluded Major Larouche.
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