Four arrested in poaching investigation

El Defensor Chieftain ^

[ladrones]

The local news said some of these guys were on INS holds.

Four arrested in poaching investigation

Dana L. Bowley El Defensor Chieftain Editor, news@dchieftain.com

Four men were arrested and dozens of pieces of evidence confiscated when state game officers raided suspected poaching and illegal woodcutting camps straddling the Socorro-Torrance county line.

Monday's raid, which took place more than eight miles off the nearest paved road, 12 to 15 miles southeast of Mountainair, was the first operation of a statewide Department of Game and Fish "strike force" that was organized this month to combat poaching.

"The strike force struck," said Game and Fish Conservation Officer Chris Chadwick.

Aldo Saenz, 27, and Gerardo Gonzalez, 27, were each charged with illegal possession of two elk heads, deer parts, antelope meat and an oryx skull. They were booked into the Socorro County Detention Center. Eloy Alcido Gonzalez, 50 or 51, and Sergio Gonzalez, 31, were each charged with illegal possession of deer heads, antelope parts and an elk head, and were booked into a Torrance County jail. Hometowns were unavailable for any of the four men.

The men face charges on at least 16 alleged violations of wildlife laws, Chadwick said. Charges against a fifth man are possible, he said.

Evidence confiscated from the four long-term camps, some of which were in northeast Socorro County, included parts of at least five deer, four elk, four antelope, an oryx, a bobcat, parts of two hawks and a live captive mockingbird.

In addition, the officers discovered a pair of big-rig trailers loaded with dozens of cords of cut firewood, three other large, empty trailers, an estimated 100 or so penned-up fighting roosters and three dead roosters, Chadwick said.

The officers who swept into the area Monday found parts of wild animals at all four camps, Chadwick said. One of the deer skulls had a fighting rooster etched on it, while one of the trophy elk skulls had bullet holes between its eye sockets.

The officers found five men and at least three women in the four camps, and some of them said they'd been living there for several years, Chadwick said.

He said none of the men and women had a hunting license or other proof the wild animals were killed legally.

Eleven officers from the Department of Game and Fish, two State Police officers, and representatives from the State Forestry Division and State Land Office participated in the raid. Earlier investigations included visits to the camps by plainclothes officers and surveillance from the Department of Game and Fish airplane.

The aerial surveillance revealed several hundred acres of wooded area that appeared to have been clear-cut, investigators said.

"What we found was an operation that clearly had a significant impact on wildlife resources," Chadwick said. "Our goal was to stop illegal poaching activity, along with any habitat degradation that may affect wildlife."

Chadwick said there also appeared to be a lot of commercial woodcutting activity in the area of the camps. The State Forestry Division and the State Land Office are handling that investigation.

"We appreciate the opportunity to work in cooperation with the Department of Game and Fish to identify and prosecute those who are conducting illegal activities on state trust lands," State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons said.

The operation was one of the first for the Anti-poaching Strike Force, which was formed last month to put more conservation law enforcement officers in the field. When needed, as many as 40 commissioned officers, who also have roles as Game and Fish biologists, managers and researchers, are called upon to assist regular field officers.

"This is just the type of operation that we are looking for," State Game Commission Chairman Guy Riordan said. "Here we have trophy elk, deer and oryx that were being poached when our ethical sportsmen have to be lucky in the draw to hunt them, and many times don't get the opportunity to harvest trophy animals of this size."

To report poaching in New Mexico, call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-432-4263. Rewards are offered for information leading to the arrest or filing of charges against game violators.

(Jeff Jones of the Albuquerque Journal contributed to this report.)

[kingattax]

.."We aint partial to no poachers round these parts. Dadgum varmints"

[MeekOneGOP]

hahahaaa!

I can see you're gonna get a bit of use outta that pic! :^D

That is great!

[kingattax]

LOL...you get all the credit :)

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks. I'm glad you like it. It came out good and now I see how you're gonna use it.

But you found the pic and came up with the concept for the modification.

I just let my Adobe PhotoDeluxe software do the walking.

[kingattax]

sure was a nice walk :)

i think this is gonna be a lot of fun

[MeekOneGOP]

:^D

[kingattax]

how long you had the Adobe.....you sure know how to work it

[MeekOneGOP]

I just checked my computer. I installed the software in September, 2003.

And Billie gave me and Aquamarine the tutorial for using it in December, 2003.

[kingattax]

cool...well you sure know how to use it :)

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks.

:^D