Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services has charged five individuals following extensive investigations into poaching and illegal trafficking.
Among those charged is an American fugitive who had been living in Alberta. The accused are Simon Paul of Montana, Teresa Snow and Eli Snow of Morley, Alberta, and James Brittain and Sophia Soriano of Calgary. Officials said they face a combined 34 charges under Alberta’s Wildlife Act and nine charges under the Criminal Code of Canada.
“Poaching is a crime that robs our province of wildlife that is central to the lives and livelihoods of many Albertans,” Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said in a statement. “I commend the dedication and hard work of Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers, along with our law enforcement partners, into these investigations to put an end to these illegal activities and help conserve and protect Alberta’s wildlife.”
In August 2024, FWES’s undercover unit received intelligence from a confidential informant that Paul had fled to Canada and was residing with Teresa Snow on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. Paul was wanted in the United States on multiple charges related to the killing and trafficking of birds of prey in Montana and had failed to appear in court.
Further reports in November 2024 indicated that Paul was actively killing eagles on the Stoney Nakoda and Eden Valley First Nations land and selling wildlife products.
FWES launched an undercover operation in which Paul, Snow and Brittain sold various items to undercover officers, including a bald eagle feather headdress, black bear claw necklaces and a raptor talon dance stick.
In March 2025, FWES officers in Cochrane initiated a separate investigation after receiving a Report A Poacher tip about Paul and Eli Snow allegedly shooting eagles and hawks from a truck near Cochrane.
Search warrants executed on the suspects’ truck and residence uncovered multiple freshly removed eagle feet with talons, feathers, blood and other raptor parts, as well as unsecured firearms.
Across both investigations, the accused have been charged with hunting wildlife for which there is no open season; unlawful possession and trafficking of wildlife; possession for the purpose of unlawful trafficking; providing false or misleading information to a fish and wildlife officer; and careless transportation and storage of firearms.
“The commitment of Fish and Wildlife personnel has driven this positive outcome,” said Rob Lamont, deputy chief of Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services. “I would like to thank the RCMP and the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service for their collaboration and assistance that was essential to these complex investigations.”
In Alberta, Indigenous Peoples with treaty rights or Métis harvesting status may lawfully harvest and possess certain wildlife for subsistence purposes for themselves and their immediate families. Wildlife harvested under these rights may not be transferred, traded, bartered, sold, or possessed by individuals outside of the immediate family.
Anyone with information about any wildlife or fishery violation is encouraged to call the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800, or online at alberta.ca/report-poacher.aspx. Callers can remain anonymous and could qualify for a reward.
“As this matter is now before the courts, no further comment or information will be provided,” the agency said.
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