An American fugitive accused of killing and trafficking birds of prey is among five people facing a combined 34 charges after a pair of extensive undercover investigations by Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES).
Simon Paul, of Montana, had been living on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation while wanted in the U.S. on charges linked to the illegal killing and sale of eagles. He now faces Alberta Wildlife Act and Criminal Code charges alongside Teresa Snow and Eli Snow of Morley, and James Brittain and Sophia Soriano of Calgary.
FWES said the investigations exposed widespread poaching and trafficking of eagle parts and other wildlife products. Undercover officers purchased a bald eagle feather headdress, bear claw necklaces and a raptor talon dance stick from the accused.
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.
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
- Careless transportation and storage of firearms
“Poaching is a crime that robs our province of wildlife that is central to the lives and livelihoods of many Albertans,” said Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis in a news release. “I commend the dedication and hard work of Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers, along with our law enforcement partners, into these investigations.”
The investigations began in August 2024, when intelligence revealed Paul was hiding in Alberta after failing to appear in a Montana court. By November, FWES received reports that he was killing eagles on the Stoney Nakoda and Eden Valley First Nations and selling parts. A separate March 2025 probe, launched after a Report A Poacher tip, found Paul and Eli Snow allegedly shooting eagles and hawks near Cochrane.
Deputy chief Rob Lamont credited the RCMP and Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service with assisting the FWES’s undercover operations.
In Alberta, Indigenous Peoples with treaty rights or Métis harvesting status may harvest wildlife for subsistence, but products cannot be sold, traded, or transferred outside their immediate families.
Anyone with information on wildlife crimes can contact the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.