RICHMOND, VA-More than 100 people have been charged in the illegal trafficking of black bear parts following a sting in which authorities set up a mock sporting goods store to sell the items poached in Virginia.
Agents reportedly found that whole bears, gall bladders, paws and other bear body parts were trafficked to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and California, as well as South Korea.
The 3-year operation stemmed from previous investigations that uncovered extensive poaching and illegal trade in black bear parts that originated in Virginia, including Shenandoah National Park.
Ричмонд, Вирджиния: Более ста человек было обвинено в незаконной торговле частями черных медведей, в результате завершения операции, в ходже которой властями был открыт фальшивый магазин спортивных товаров, продающий части и органы медведей сбраконьеренных в Вирджинии.
Агенты правоохранительных органов обнаружили что целые медвежьи туши, желчные пузыри и другие части медведей продавались в Вашингтон, округ Колумбия, Мэриленд, Западную Вирджинию, Северную Каролину, Нью-Джерси, Нью-Йорк и Калифорнию, и даже в Южную Корею.
Продлившаяся 3 года операция была начата в результате предыдущих расследований, в ходе которых было обнаружено развитое браконьерство и незаконная торговля частями черных медведей. Центром этой деятельности была Вирджиния, включая Национальный Парк Шенандоа (аналог наших заповедников).
Простите за кривой перевод, что-то я не в форме сегодня.
Во как, кто еще хочет выступить на тему врожденной законопослушности жителей США?
Это оригинал для тех кто может прочитать.А законопослушность приплетать к этому делу не стоит.Везде уродов хватает.
Illegal trade alleged in state
Sting finds that areas here are linked to the market for black bears and ginseng
BY LEE GRAVES
TIMES-DISPATCH CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, January 8, 2004
A three-year undercover investigation operating out of a storefront in Elkton has directly linked areas of Virginia to the international black-market trade in black-bear parts and wild ginseng, state and federal officials announced yesterday.
Agents documented nearly 700 violations involving more than 100 people in seven states, Washington and one foreign country during the operation.
The investigation has tied areas around Shenandoah National Park to the multimillion-dollar black market in American black bears and wild ginseng plants, said William L. Woodfin Jr., director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. That agency and the National Park Service spearheaded the investigation, with support from the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and other groups.
Earlier this week, state and federal grand juries were convened for the cases. A total of 38 people have been indicted on state charges, eight on federal charges, and two people are in custody, said John L. Brownlee, U.S. attorney for the western district of Virginia. Many indictments are still sealed, and more charges are expected as the prosecution continues.
Marsha Garst, commonwealth's attorney for Rockingham County and Harrisonburg, said the state charges so far involve 25 men and 13 women. Some defendants could face 20 years or more in prison, Garst said.
In all, investigators say they documented 487 state violations (193 felonies and 294 misdemeanors) and 204 federal violations (99 felonies and 105 misdemeanors). In addition to Virginia and the District of Columbia, trafficking was traced to Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and California.
Whole bears, gall bladders, paws and other bear parts are being trafficked primarily to Asian markets domestically and overseas, particularly South Korea, officials said. Bear bile from the gall bladder is especially prized for its use in medicine and therapeutic applications. Dried, ground and sold by the gram, bile has a higher street value than cocaine. A single gall bladder can sell for more than $3,000 on the black market.
Woodfin said the illegal bear trade is intertwined with the black market for wild ginseng, also sought as an ingredient in medicine and as a boost for mental efficiency and stamina. It goes for $260 to $365 a pound for dried roots, compared with $8 to $10 a pound for cultivated ginseng.
Synthetic bear bile is produced commercially for use in medicine, and ginseng can be harvested legally, but not in the Shenandoah National Park. Wild bears and ginseng, not commercial products, drive black-market profits.
"Our investigation shows that the demand is huge and that the demand is growing," said Clay Jordan, acting chief ranger of the Shenandoah National Park.
Col. Herb Foster, head of the game department's law-enforcement division, said the investigation grew out of a joint undercover effort that ended in 1999. It revealed that black-bear parts were being poached from Virginia, including the park, and that entities involved in the illegal bear trade also were involved in the wild-ginseng black market.
The new operation "focused on the illegal domestic and international trade in bear parts and ginseng at a higher level," Foster said. "We were able to infiltrate bear and ginseng black markets as a supply source."
Foster said that while officials earlier believed the market was primarily international, "there's as much or more of a market within the domestic Korean community."
The undercover operation was set up as a now-closed sporting-goods store where transactions were videotaped.
Officials decried the exploitation of Virginia's natural resources, stressing the importance of protecting wildlife for future generations. Jordan also emphasized the park's value to scientists studying complex ecosystems.
"Through the efforts of this investigation, we intend to send a broad message that those natural resources that we are charged with protecting, they are not for sale," Jordan said.
Contact Lee Graves at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com
А вот такие они у нас.О которых написано выше.Камера не очень хорошая,поэтому качество не очень.Медведь потом залез от меня на дерево.
