California Fish and Wildlife break up animal poaching ring
Misty Severi
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife broke up a group of animal poachers in Ventura County, the county’s district attorney’s office announced.
Seven people have been charged with a total of 21 counts, which include receiving stolen property, filing a false or forged document, unlawful possession of untagged bear, conspiracy, and animal abuse or cruelty. Six of the seven suspected perpetrators have been apprehended and arraigned, with one being sought by law enforcement, officials said Monday.
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Six of the alleged perpetrators were part of a poaching and wildlife tracking group called the “E-Bike Crew,” which the district attorney’s office believes has been responsible for dozens of illegal kills of local wildlife. An investigation into the group has spanned more than a year.
The six suspects in the wildlife group have been identified as Martin Bravo Sr., Martin M. Bravo, Walfre Lopez y Lopez, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez, Jaime Mendoza Avila, and Cristian Lopez Perez, according to a news release.
The men allegedly falsified and reprinted hunting tags at Lizette’s Market in Piru, California, from June 2019 to October 2021, which helped them avoid state hunting regulations and harvest more animals per year than legally allowed. California has restrictions on the number of each animal that can be killed by a single person throughout the year to avoid overhunting. For deer, hunters are only allowed two tags per year. However, a total of 64 tags were reprinted for the organization, and more than 120 tags were never reported, according to a report from Nexstar Media.
“With the reprint scheme enacted, the Wildlife Trafficking Organization (WTO) was allowed to go into the surrounding wilderness areas in and around Ventura County and provided the means to illegally kill any game animal at any given time with a safeguard in place in the event the group was confronted by law enforcement,” read an arrest warrant obtained by the outlet. “The execution of this scheme has resulted in a significant loss to wildlife resources within the county, the deprivation of lawful hunting opportunity for law-abiding citizens, and the illegal commercialization of native wildlife for personal gain or profit.”
During interviews with law enforcement, members of the group admitted to killing more animals than the legal limit and using the hunting tags improperly. Several also acknowledged illegally exchanging and bartering animal meat and animal parts.
Reyes Guerrero, who operates Lizette’s Market, has been accused of reprinting the tags in his stepdaughter’s name. When asked about the operation, the stepdaughter said she was not aware of it.
Authorities were first made aware of the organization when a warden noticed a group of six men carrying guns on electric bikes. One man was given a warning for having a live round in his gun at the time. Several other reports from around Ventura and Santa Barbara counties came over the next year about the same group of men on electric bikes illegally hunting animals.
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Authorities have additionally obtained dozens of hunting trophies, including antlers and animal skulls believed to be obtained illegally. One skull was of a mountain lion, which is illegal to hunt under California law. A bear was also in the process of being taxidermized, and the bear was never reported.
The six men that were arraigned on Monday are in custody, with bail set at $200,000. Lopez has not yet been located, and a warrant is out for his arrest.