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3 guilty of smuggling bear organs-Gallbladders sought for Chinese medicine.
A federal agent who checked a Maryland woman's bag as she flew back from a hunting trip to Canada last year found a more unusual provision: 9 fist-size gallbladders from black bears.
It turned out her 2 traveling companions planned to sell the organs to a contact of theirs, who had paid them $50 to $100 each in the past. Bear gallbladders and the bile they contain are highly sought-after in traditional Chinese medicine.
Yesterday the three Marylanders-Richard Dempsey of Lothian, Terrence Beaulac of Chesapeake Beach and Kimberly Scherer of Waldorf - pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. They'll be sentenced in February.
Mr. Dempsey, 38, and Mr. Beaulac, 39, admitted illegally importing the organs and could face 5 yrs behind bars. Ms. Scherer, 37, pleaded guilty to trafficking in wildlife, a misdemeanor, and faces a maximum of one year.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, which fights the illegal trade in bear parts, gallbladders and bile are believed to treat fever, liver disease, convulsions, diabetes and heart disease.
Michael Markarian, an executive vice president for the society, said gallbladders can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Other bear parts are desired, too. Eating paws is believed to give one the strength of a bear, while eating flesh is believed to make one more virile, the Humane Society says.
"Because it's an illegal trade, it's very difficult in most cases to measure or quantify," Mr. Markarian said.
But he called the poaching of bears "rampant," noting a California study that estimated the illegal killing is 3 X's as common as legal hunting.
Ms. Lavin said the gallbladders are about the size of a small human fist when wet. When dry, they're smaller and stretched out from being hung, resembling a balloon.
Federal prosecutors said the Maryland trio flew from Maryland to Saskatchewan to hunt on May 28, 2005. On June 6, as they were returning, Mr. Dempsey asked Ms. Scherer to put the gallbladders in her suitcase.
Wildlife inspectors stationed with customs agents often check hunting parties, and they found the contraband in Ms. Scherer's luggage.
Mr. Markarian noted that the Marylanders only got in trouble because they had violated Canadian law when they killed the bears. That made bringing the organs back into the United States a federal violation.
But if they had killed the bears legally here or in Canada, then brought the organs home or sold them in a state that allows it, they would have faced no penalties.
Maryland is one of 34 states that outlaw selling bear organs. Mr. Markarian said the Humane Society has pushed for a federal ban, but bills haven't gone far.
A federal agent who checked a Maryland woman's bag as she flew back from a hunting trip to Canada last year found a more unusual provision: 9 fist-size gallbladders from black bears.
It turned out her 2 traveling companions planned to sell the organs to a contact of theirs, who had paid them $50 to $100 each in the past. Bear gallbladders and the bile they contain are highly sought-after in traditional Chinese medicine.
Yesterday the three Marylanders-Richard Dempsey of Lothian, Terrence Beaulac of Chesapeake Beach and Kimberly Scherer of Waldorf - pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. They'll be sentenced in February.
Mr. Dempsey, 38, and Mr. Beaulac, 39, admitted illegally importing the organs and could face 5 yrs behind bars. Ms. Scherer, 37, pleaded guilty to trafficking in wildlife, a misdemeanor, and faces a maximum of one year.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, which fights the illegal trade in bear parts, gallbladders and bile are believed to treat fever, liver disease, convulsions, diabetes and heart disease.
Michael Markarian, an executive vice president for the society, said gallbladders can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Other bear parts are desired, too. Eating paws is believed to give one the strength of a bear, while eating flesh is believed to make one more virile, the Humane Society says.
"Because it's an illegal trade, it's very difficult in most cases to measure or quantify," Mr. Markarian said.
But he called the poaching of bears "rampant," noting a California study that estimated the illegal killing is 3 X's as common as legal hunting.
Ms. Lavin said the gallbladders are about the size of a small human fist when wet. When dry, they're smaller and stretched out from being hung, resembling a balloon.
Federal prosecutors said the Maryland trio flew from Maryland to Saskatchewan to hunt on May 28, 2005. On June 6, as they were returning, Mr. Dempsey asked Ms. Scherer to put the gallbladders in her suitcase.
Wildlife inspectors stationed with customs agents often check hunting parties, and they found the contraband in Ms. Scherer's luggage.
Mr. Markarian noted that the Marylanders only got in trouble because they had violated Canadian law when they killed the bears. That made bringing the organs back into the United States a federal violation.
But if they had killed the bears legally here or in Canada, then brought the organs home or sold them in a state that allows it, they would have faced no penalties.
Maryland is one of 34 states that outlaw selling bear organs. Mr. Markarian said the Humane Society has pushed for a federal ban, but bills haven't gone far.