14 suspects indicted in Arizona wildlife poaching case that hurt deer, sheep, elk, javelina, more
Dec 12, 2024, 12:08 PM
Two of the suspects in the Arizona wildlife poaching case are accused of killing a deer by smashing its head with a rock, prosecutors said. (File Photos: Farmers.gov, left, NPS, right)
(File Photos: Farmers.gov, left, NPS, right)
PHOENIX — Fourteen people have been indicted by a state grand jury in an Arizona wildlife poaching case, according to officials.
The suspects allegedly poached animals such as bighorn sheep, elk, deer, javelina, turkey and the pronghorn antelope, all of which are regulated by Arizona law.
Their charges of conspiracy, illegal enterprise and theft relate to crimes that took place from April 2018 to October 2021, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Who was indicted in Arizona wildlife poaching case?
Four of the suspects’ names were redacted in the official indictment.
The others are Bu Reh, Joseph Htee, Neh Reh, Nga Reh, Pray Reh, Ree Reh, Sumon C. Zam, Tee Reh, Ti Reh and Yung Bal Cangmah.
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Court documents suggest the suspects conducted an enterprise that was “bound by the shared activity of illegally hunting and eating animals” that were protected by Arizona law.
Charges vary among the two dozen suspects. Altogether, there are 30 counts detailed in court documents.
While most of the suspects are accused of theft, conspiracy and illegally conducting an enterprise, two more face those charges as well as charges related to cruelty to animals. Both Ree Reh and Tee Reh allegedly killed a deer by smashing its head with a rock.
The group’s crimes caused the state of Arizona to lose around $200,000 worth of wildlife, prosecutors said.
