Prosecutors plan to seek steep fines — “upwards of 10s of thousands of dollars” — for two hunters facing dozens of poaching charges stemming from a hunting trip near Barriere more than three years ago.
Kyaw Thah and Boe Gyi appeared in Kamloops provincial court Thursday on a raft of charges alleging they violated B.C. hunting laws, including counts of hunting without a licence, hunting wildlife out of season, hunting big game with a rimfire cartridge, transporting wildlife contrary to regulations and hunting using a light.
Two other men, Tin Hla and Ywa Mu, are also charged. They did not appear in court on Thursday.
Details of the alleged offences have not yet been made public, but court documents show the allegations date back to May 9, 2020. The offences are alleged to have taken place in the Darfield area between Barriere and Clearwater.
In court on Thursday, Thah and Gyi both said they are interested in pleading guilty, at which time Crown prosecutor Monica Fras was asked to provide her sentencing position.
“I can advise that Crown has formed initial sentencing positions in relation to each accused as per Crown’s assessment of their culpability,” she said.
“The fines are significant — upwards of 10s of thousands of dollars.”
Thah and Gyi are self-represented and they said they have so far been unable to open an electronic disclosure package sent to them by prosecutors.
The men are due back in court on Oct. 19.
