Roughly translated by TWIN Observer
NORWAY / TT-NTB
A court in Norway has sentenced five men to organized poaching of wolves near the border with Sweden. A 48-year-old from Elverum, who is identified as the group’s leader, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. The others may be sentenced from six months to one year in prison. All of them also lose their hunting licenses from between two and five years, and get a number of hunting weapons confiscated.
Norwegian authorities had long been suspected that there was poaching of wolves in the border area, but were unable to substantiate it. The evidence against the men has been found, including from phone tapping, writes NRK.
The 48-year-old was singled out as the one who initiated, planned and coordinated the illegal hunting. In the intercepted conversations he said excitedly to several of the others that he had shot a wolf.