June 27, 2006

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) today arrested 17 people involved in three separate sturgeon and abalone poaching cases throughout Sacramento and the Bay area. Three other suspects sought by the 29 teams of wardens deployed in the Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Hayward, Ft. Bragg, and Mission Viejo areas remain at large, officials said.

“Wardens targeted 20 suspects with arrest warrants, and served seven search warrants today. Seventeen suspects have been arrested and we will continue to investigate several other leads as additional witnesses are interviewed,” said Nancy Foley, DFG Chief of Enforcement. “We met all of our goals today in this operation and continue to have zero tolerance for those who illegally commercialize California’s natural resources.”

The complete list of those arrested in the three cases include:

Operation Dos Robles (abalone) – Lance Robles, 43, Ft. Bragg; Leroy Robles, 41, Ft. Bragg; Marty Holloway, 44, Beaver Marsh, OR; Bao Zhang, 53, San Francisco; Bing Wei, 36, Concord.
Operation Mahalo (abalone) – Kalen Tanaka, 42, Hayward; Chadrick Crowell, 23, Hayward; Jeff Chow, 35, Alameda.
Operation Delta Beluga III (sturgeon) – Alexandr Krasnodemsky, 25, Orangevale; Ayfou Saephan, 21; San Saefong, 28; Kaochoy Saefong, 43, Oakland; Jerry Saechao, 20, Oakland; Nhut Thi Truong Dang, 43, Oakland; Kaofey Fey Saechao, 26, Sacramento; Oleg S. Krasnodemsky, 27, Citrus Heights; Nai Choy Saefong, 34, Oakland.
DFG seized a variety of evidence while executing the arrest and search warrants. Among the items seized were salmon and sturgeon roe, sturgeon meat, abalone, shark fins, sea cucumbers and caviar processing materials. About 15 pounds of shark fins, a pound of sea cucumber, and less than a pound of abalone were confiscated from Bob’s Sushi restaurant. The owner, Zhang, had been arrested earlier in the day. A total of 21 shelled abalone were found at the house of China House owner Mike Ha in Burlingame. Earlier, an employee and buyer of illegal abalone for China House, Wei, had been arrested.