Heavy fines were handed down to three people from Sandy Bay and another from Saskatoon for trafficking bear.

The Ministry of Environment says it conducted a two and a half year investigation into the illegal buying and selling of bear parts and that a local restaurant was also purchasing parts.

Li Gen Han, 36, of Sandy Bay was charged with seven counts and fined $23,800. Lianshun Li, 36, of Sandy Bay was charged with three counts and fined $8,400. Marcel Sewap, 34, of Sandy Bay was charged with one count and fined $2,800. Lianhua Chi, 56, of Saskatoon received a total of $29,120 in fines for seven counts of trafficking in wildlife.

All were given a five year hunting ban.

A man from Toronto was fined $3200 for purchasing bear galls from Saskatchewan.

(Photos courtesy of the Sask. Ministry of Environment Facebook.)