Thousands in fines will be paid by a Cowichan man and two acquaintances after an undercover operation by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service revealed they had knowingly tried to buy/sell illegal deer meat.
The incidents happened years ago but sentencing was recently concluded.
Court documents revealed that in the fall of 2014 Valentin Alatiit, now 71, approached a retired RCMP officer of First Nations heritage in the WalMart parking lot at Cowichan Commons, expressing an interest in buying wild deer meat. Alatiit gave the retired officer his phone number which was then turned over to the Conservation Officer Service who began a covert investigation.
In the months of November and December that same year, undercover agents sold illegal wild meat to Alatiit twice. During those transactions Alatiit noted that his friend Elmer Baldonaza, now 47, was also interested in purchasing the meat.
Crown Counsel John Blackman confirmed the third offender, Samuel George, now 58, had been selling poached meat heB次元官网网址檇 hunted himself.
B次元官网网址淲hen the other two gentlemen were being investigated by the undercover conservation officers one of them was asked what was a source of local deer meet and theyB次元官网网址檇 mentioned Mr. GeorgeB次元官网网址檚 name and provided a telephone number,B次元官网网址� Blackman explained. B次元官网网址淭he undercover conservation officers were able to get in contact with Mr. George.B次元官网网址�
Blackman said then on two separate occasions the following year, in Duncan, the officers purchased deer meat from Mr. George.
The first to receive his sentence, Baldonaza pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking wildlife and in December of 2017 was given a $5,000 fine for his involvement.
In that sentence, Justice Parker MacCarthy wrote B次元官网网址渢he early guilty pleas and an expressed intention to deal with the matter at the earliest opportunity by way of guilty pleas,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渉is genuine expression of remorse for his offending behaviour,B次元官网网址� his well regarded position within the community, and his willingness to pay a fine were all mitigating factors.
George was sentenced in Duncan on Jan. 30, 2018.
B次元官网网址淚n his case, the Crown proceeded with one count alleging between Nov. 4, 2015 and Dec. 15, 2015 at Duncan, he trafficked in wildlife meat,B次元官网网址� Blackman said.
The minimum sentence for that offence is $2,500 and he received that. He was placed on probation for two years and one of the terms was that he was to do 200 hours of community service, Blackman added.
The final offender to be sentenced, Alatiit has been ordered to pay more than $5,500 in fines after pleading guilty to two counts of trafficking in wildlife meat.
He was sentenced on Sept. 24, 2018.
B次元官网网址淚nitially he was reluctant to admit that he had breached the law but having had the circumstances of the offence explained to him, he now takes full responsibility and admits his offences before this court,B次元官网网址� Justice Parker MacCarthy wrote.
