Mike_V
Well-Known Member
"During the year-long investigation, officers surveilled Chao and Saechao allegedly working with six additional sturgeon-poaching suspects, and claim they witnessed the group take at least 36 sturgeon during the investigation. According to CDFW’s statement, authorities also saw suspects catching juvenile salmon and using them as bait, which is against the law. A ninth suspect is believed to have sold abalone, a protected species of marine snail, and to have sold Dungeness crabs without a commercial license.
On March 30, officers served nine warrants and booked the suspected poachers into Sutter County Jail. Most have since been released from custody, Foy says, adding that he expects charges from the Sutter County District Attorney to be forthcoming, although none of the suspects have been officially charged at this time.
In addition to conspiracy to poach sturgeon, suspects face multiple violations related to sturgeon fishing, including unlawful possession of sturgeon, possession of oversized and/or undersized sturgeon, and the unlawful sale of sturgeon caviar and meat. In executing the warrants, officers also discovered at least five unlawfully possessed deer and some abalone. "
Beyond illegal wildlife, authorities announced they found five firearms including a “ghost gun” without a serial number and an AR-15 assault rifle, more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, and more than $57,000 in cash and counterfeit currency. The officers also say they observed dozens of instances of littering during the course of their investigation, as the suspects routinely threw food wrappers and beer cans into the river while they fished — a misdemeanor for polluting waterways. The CDFW plans to include the litter violations among the violations it presents to the District Attorney for potential prosecution.
On March 30, officers served nine warrants and booked the suspected poachers into Sutter County Jail. Most have since been released from custody, Foy says, adding that he expects charges from the Sutter County District Attorney to be forthcoming, although none of the suspects have been officially charged at this time.
In addition to conspiracy to poach sturgeon, suspects face multiple violations related to sturgeon fishing, including unlawful possession of sturgeon, possession of oversized and/or undersized sturgeon, and the unlawful sale of sturgeon caviar and meat. In executing the warrants, officers also discovered at least five unlawfully possessed deer and some abalone. "
Beyond illegal wildlife, authorities announced they found five firearms including a “ghost gun” without a serial number and an AR-15 assault rifle, more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, and more than $57,000 in cash and counterfeit currency. The officers also say they observed dozens of instances of littering during the course of their investigation, as the suspects routinely threw food wrappers and beer cans into the river while they fished — a misdemeanor for polluting waterways. The CDFW plans to include the litter violations among the violations it presents to the District Attorney for potential prosecution.
