CALGARY -- A lengthy investigation by Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers has led to more than $63,000 in fines and 31 combined years of hunting licence suspensions against 13 people.

The investigation kicked off in early 2017 when officers from the Stettler branch of the agency discovered several people were hunting with an Indigenous person in an attempt to mask their illegal activities.

Indigenous people have a constitutionally protected right to hunt, however officers realized the poachers were hunting either out of season or without the proper licences.

Fish and Wildlife officers also found that meat from some of the illegally hunted elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose and antelope was trafficked.

"In one case, an American from Kansas was also unlawfully guided on a moose and antelope hunt," the agency said in a social media post.

A total of 13 people were charged in 2019, including:

Donald Chornohus

  • Found guilty of unlawful possession of wildlife. Fined $4,500.

Tyler Dean Erickson

  • Found guilty of two counts of hunting without a licence. Fined $5,000 and forced to forfeit trophy antelope shoulder mount.

Larry Lee

  • Found guilty of hunting wildlife during a closed season and hunting big game as a non-resident alien without an outfitter-guide. Fined $6,000 and given four-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Natalie Lynn Leskiw

  • Found guilty of three counts of unlawful possession of wildlife, three counts of hunting during closed season and one count of hunting without a licence. Fined $5,000 and given a five-year judicial order prohibiting hunting or accompanying anyone hunting.

Shannon Orest Leskiw

  • Found guilty of four counts of unlawful possession of wildlife, three counts of hunting during closed season and two counts of hunting without a licence. Fined $15,000 and given a five-year judicial order prohibiting hunting or accompanying anyone hunting.

Carmine Maglione

  • Found guilty of two counts of unlawful trafficking of wildlife, guiding for reward without a licence and providing guiding services to a non-resident alien without an outfitter-guide permit. Fined $11,000, given a 15-year judicial order where he is required to report all hunting activity, including any wildlife he comes into possession of and a six-year automatic recreational hunting licence suspension.

Donald Matilla

  • Found guilty of unlawful possession of wildlife. Fined $600.

Trent Morrison

  • Found guilty of trafficking wildlife. Fined $2,500 and given three-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Greg Morrow

  • Found guilty of hunting without a licence. Fined $2,000 and given a one-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Tristen Nixon

  • Found guilty of unlawful possession of wildlife. Fined $115 and given a one-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Kimberly Reszel

  • Found guilty of allowing another to use their licence. Fined $115 and given a one-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Lance Darryl Reszel

  • Found guilty of hunting without a licence, using another licence and failing to immediately affix a tag. Fined $7,500 and given a three-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Trevor Thomas

  • Found guilty of trafficking wildlife. Fined $2,500 and given a three-year recreational hunting licence suspension.

Anyone with information about violations to the Wildlife Act are asked to call the Report-A-Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800 on report online through the website.