Seized parts | Gov. of Saskatchewan
In the frozen prairies of west-central Saskatchewan, a quiet little black-market empire just got slapped with a $12,000 reality check. A woman and small-town trafficker extraordinaire, pleaded guilty last month after she was busted for slinging black bear parts that can command thousands of dollars worth of proceeds on the shadowy traditional medicine circuit halfway across the world.
The case came to a close following a three year investigation, a cross-province sting, and ended with fines, a hunting ban, and a polite government reminder that poaching for pseudoscience isn't something that will be tolerated. Unfortunately, as long as there's insatiable demand for magical bile and exotic soup ingredients, someone will inevitably step up and supply it, regulations be damned.
Hailing from Maidstone, Saskatchewan, the accused, Weol Ran Lee, pleaded guilty on November 24th, in Lloydminster Provincial Court to trafficking in wildlife and unlawfully transporting wildlife parts between provinces. For her unlawful actions, she received a $7,000 fine and five-year hunting suspension for the trafficking charge, plus a $5,000 fine and five-year prohibition on possessing bear parts for the transportation offense. Authorities also ordered forfeiture of any money seized in connection with the crimes.
The investigation kicked off way back in March of 2022 when Saskatchewan's Ministry of Community Safety received a public tip about suspected trafficking of bear gall bladders. Conservation officers launched an investigation in Maidstone—a small community about 56 kilometers east of Lloydminster—and later expanded it to British Columbia, where a family member of Lee was identified as a second suspect.
In August 2025, that family member pleaded guilty in B.C. to unlawful possession and trafficking of bear parts, receiving a $9,875 fine. While the details about that case remain under lock and key, it seems as though that family member was likely involved in receiving, possessing, or further trafficking the parts across provinces, leading officials closer to Ran Lee’s role in the inter-provincial operation.
A dried bear gall bladder seized from a Chinese restaurant in neighboring Manitoba | Province of Manitoba
Bear gall bladders are highly prized on the black market, particularly for use in traditional Asian medicine, where the bile is believed to have therapeutic properties, while paws are often sought for culinary uses, such as in soups. This demand fuels poaching and undermines regulated hunting, not just in this case, but in many others just like it.
"Trafficking in wildlife undermines lawful hunting, devalues public natural resources, and can negatively affect wildlife populations and broader ecosystem health," the Government of Saskatchewan stated in a December news release.
This case is part of a recurring pattern in Canada, with previous convictions in provinces including Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec often linked to black-market demand for bear parts.
Officials credit public tips for enabling the investigation and encourage reporting suspected violations via Saskatchewan's Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line at 1-800-667-7561 or online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp.
