Friday April 22, 2022
CBS Sacramento —
California wildlife officers made a massive bust on the Sacramento River, cuffing nine men who are suspected of poaching sturgeon and selling their caviar on the black market.
Sturgeon are considered a “species of special concern” in California. State wildlife officers say they watched these criminals in the dark of night using young salmon as bait.
Additionally, investigators turned up illegal guns, counterfeit cash and drugs on top of all that stolen sturgeon.
“It’s been a few years since I remember something quite this big,” said Cpt. Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The monster poaching operation was unraveled in Sutter County.
“These people were not only engaged in sturgeon poaching, but we also found drugs and machine guns and assault weapons and more drugs and counterfeit currency and lots of cash,” Foy said.