Three fined $34,000 for illegal bear gallbladder trafficking operation
A black bear stands near the side of Highway 881 near Conklin, Alberta on Tuesday May 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Three people have been fined a total of $34,000 for their roles in an illegal black bear gallbladder trafficking operation in Quebec.
The trio pleaded guilty at the Montreal courthouse to violating sections of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, which has protections for threatened species in Canada.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced Wednesday that the sentences were handed down after receiving reports of illegal organ trafficking between May 2017 and August 2018.
The bile inside bear gallbladders is a coveted product by some who believe it has healing properties. The sale of the organs is illegal but they can turn up on the black market for a pretty penny, sometimes selling for more than some illegal drugs, officials say.
On July 18, Tran Dinh Tuan Vu was fined $5,000 at the Montreal courthouse after pleading guilty to one offence of the act. On Tuesday, Thi Kim Loan Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count and was fined $5,000, while Minh Truong Hai Nguyen pleaded guilty to four counts and received a $24,000 fine.
The fines will be paid to the federal government's Environmental Damages Fund.
During the investigation, dubbed Operation Pochette, ECCC enforcement officers discovered that the three individuals were transporting the bear organs from New Brunswick to Quebec.
It's not the first time individuals in Quebec have been caught in the bear gallbladder trade — a practice that has been banned in the province since 1998.
In 2018, authorities cracked down on a poaching ring that killed black bears and shipped their gallbladders mostly to Asia. The operation resulted in 121 charges being laid.
More recently, in 2020, five people were convicted of illegal wildlife trafficking after another smuggling ring was discovered operating in Ontario and Saskatchewan.
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