Fourteen Arizona Poachers Indicted on Dozens of Wildlife Charges

During the middle of December, the Arizona Grand Jury indicted 14 individuals on dozens of counts of poaching wildlife. According to the indictment, the crimes included one count each of conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise, and cruelty to animals, along with 26 counts of wildlife theft.

According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the 14 suspects allegedly poached a plethora of game animals including four bighorn sheep, four elk, five mule deer, 13 whitetail deer, four javelinas, two turkeys and three pronghorn antelope. The charges handed down to them all relate to crimes that allegedly took place between April 2018 and October of 2021.

Despite four of the suspects’ names being redacted (likely due to age), the other suspects in the case were named as follows:  Bu Reh, Joseph Htee, Neh Reh, Nga Reh, Pray Reh, Ree Reh, Sumon C. Zam, Tee Reh, Ti Reh and Yung Bal Cangmah.

While the details surrounding how the animals were killed remain scarce, the indictment did indicate that, in at least one instance, Ree Reh and Tee Reh intentionally or knowingly subjected a deer to cruel mistreatment by smashing its head in with a rock. Outside of that, none of the other counts offer any other details about the incidents.

In total, Arizona is claiming upwards of $600,000 in damages for the unbelievable wildlife crimes. In doing so, the state is attaching between $4,000 and $25,000 for each of the big game counts and $3,000 to $4,000 worth of damages for the turkeys as well.

All of the incidents were committed in Maricopa, Yavapai, and Coconino counties and the defendants will be tried in Coconino County sometime this year. While there is no word on what exactly state prosecutors are seeking in the case, expect them to take a hard line with these individuals by handing down hefty fines and possible jail time.