Ten men and one business face a total of 59 charges under the Wildlife Act after a three-year undercover operation by Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) finished in January.
SRD received tips of individuals operating illegally in the area and trafficking big game trophy heads, prompting the investigation, said spokesman Darcy Whiteside. The 10 people were served charges on Jan. 13.
“We do have an extensive undercover operation,” said Whiteside.
The department does not commonly see a large number of charges laid against several individuals at one time, he said, adding that SRD believes the charged individuals to be linked.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
One man with the sole charge of discharging a weapon from a vehicle appeared in St. Paul Provincial Court on Thursday. The presiding judge advised the man to seek legal representation.
The judge opted to deal with the first hearings of all cases at the same time, and held the matter over until April 7 after disclosure of documents has been provided.
Charges range from discharging a firearm from a vehicle and having a loaded firearm in a vehicle, to guiding without a licence, illegal possession and trafficking of wildlife, illegal export from Canada, exporting without a permit, and false documentation. Other charges include hunting at night, hunting with a light, failing to tag, wastage, and hunting without a licence.
According to information provided to the Journal by Fish and Wildlife Officer Simon Tatlow, five of the accused were designated as guides and were acting as such during the commission of various wildlife offences. Two of these men, 39 and 23 years of age, were from Goodfish Lake First Nation. The other three guides were a 41 year-old male from Two Hills, a 55-year-old male from Vilna and a 47-year-old male from Edmonton.
A 52-year-old male from the Saddle Lake First Nation, a 47-year-old man from Andrew, and two First Nation males, aged 29 and 23, from Saskatchewan have also been charged with Wildlife Act related offences.
A 52-year-old man from St. Paul faces nine charges. A search warrant was executed at a taxidermy premises near St. Paul. A licensed taxidermist operating the business has been charged under the Wildlife Act.
The number of charges per person range from a single charge to 12.
