Sask. woman charged with trafficking bear parts on black market going to trial in November

A Saskatchewan woman will appear in a Saskatoon provincialcourt this November charged with seven counts of trafficking animals.

Fifty-five-year-old Lianhua Chi was charged after allegedly selling bear parts on the black market between December 2016 through to August 2017.

Items like bear paws and gallbladders can sell for thousands of dollars abroad for their alleged medicinal properties.

The Crown prosecutor on the case said his office takes these matters seriously.

"As you can well imagine, it's very bad for the population if people can start making money by selling wildlife parts," said Crown prosecutor Matthew Miazga.

"Especially these kinds of parts, because the value of them on certain black markets is very high, especially overseas."

According to Saskatchewan's Wildlife Act, trafficking animals can carry fines of anywhere from $2,000 to $100,000 and jail time of up to two years less a day.

The Crown is asking for a publication ban to protect the identity of officers involved in the investigation.