B.C. man fined over $8,600 after sting catches him buying bear parts

A B.C. man has been fined more than $8,600 after admitting to illegally buying black bear parts.

Hong Tao Yang, 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in bear paws and one count of trafficking in wildlife in 2022 and 2023.

A Port Coquitlam courtroom heard on Wednesday that the Conservation Officer Service launched an investigation into Yang, after a tip that someone at a Maple Ridge scrap metal facility was asking to buy bear paws.

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An undercover officer, who portrayed himself as a hunter, met Yang and struck up a rapport with him, ultimately selling Yang 10 bear paws and several bear kneecaps for a total of $320 over three meetings.

During the meetings, the officer told Yang several times that the transactions were illegal, but Yang proceeded with them anyway, the court heard.

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The court also heard that Yang had no permit that would allow him to possess wildlife in B.C.

Yang’s lawyer noted that his client had no criminal record, and argued Yang “did not understand the severity” of the offence.

He did not resell any of the animal parts, which were given to family members for use in traditional Chinese medicine, his lawyer told the court.

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“Being in possession of the parts is illegal, no matter if it is just for personal use or selling from a commercial standpoint,” Conservation Officer Jordan Ferguson told Global News outside the court.

“When you create a market just by purchasing these items, it can kind of escalate and more people start doing it. And then we have issues with animal populations.”

Ferguson added the case was important because it signals to the public that the COS takes trafficking seriously and will follow up on and prosecute tips.

In handing down the sentence, the judge accepted that Yang had no intention to resell the bear parts, and had acquired them for cultural purposes. They also noted Yang’s clean record and that he pleaded guilty.

However, the judge noted the need to deter others from engaging in similar actions and to address the “serious problem which is illegal trafficking of wildlife meat.”

Yang was fined $2,500 for each offence, the minimum penalty, along with a 15-per cent victim surcharge. He was given 18 months to pay the fines.