2027 frozen thrushes were discovered during a major operation in Christiansand

Italian hunters were detained as they were about to take a boat out of the country.

Christianchand: One week ago three Italian hunters were stopped with 2027 frozen birds during a major activity between companies at Christiansand on Friday afternoon.

The hunters had to drive at super speed while police, customs officials and the Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency (SNO) waited for them.

– Three adults were driving in a large van registered in Italy. They had more than 2,000 birds in the car, Akhtar told the district’s environmental crime coordinator Darwild Selas Fedrelandswen.

Many weapons

A total of 2027 frozen thrushes were found in the car. Of these, 10 targeted thrushes and 31 black thrushes were found, all of which are protected in Norway and poaching is illegal.

– This is very rare. Selas, who has worked in the police force since 1987, I have never encountered anything like this.

Økokrim was the first to receive references to predators. They informed the Akhtar Police District and Customs. Akhtar police were involved in the operation of SNO and customs officers in Christiansand.

The hunters hunted for two to three weeks in the inner aquarium before being caught. Those who targeted Økokrim reacted to what they perceived to be “a lot of hunting and many scenes”.

Numerous weapons were also found in the car. Only one hunter brought six guns with him.

Received a fine

Predators discovered a stuffed cheat that controlled the birds remotely to drag them to where they were ready to shoot.

Two of the three Italians are registered in the Hunter Register, police said.

– The unregistered person thus illegally hunted from the first to the last bird. But we chose not to ask him to choose which birds he shot, says Selas, who talks about the challenges of language during action.

All three were fined NOK 15,000. The fine has already been paid. Legally shot 1986 thrushes, hunters were allowed to take with them.

– We may have been considerably harsher in our evaluation and reaction. But each of them was fined 15,000 kroner. This is resolved. If the hunters had been Norwegians, they too might have lost their rights, says Dorwild Selas.

To own home

Most of the seizures had red wings and many gray thrushes. It is legal to hunt these with permission.

The birds all froze. The hunters said they had to export to their own home.

– It is not uncommon for us to experience seizures like this. “When I was at customs in Christiansand for 25 years, I did not know anyone had ever been detained before with illegally hunted birds,” customs inspector Per Otto Smithsen said in a statement sent to police and customs on Thursday.

Appreciates the collaboration

Two policemen from the Akhtar Police District and a representative of the SNO responsible for determining the species when the birds were taken out of the car.

– This is an illegal poaching we take seriously, and we are very pleased to inform the public kokrim about the poaching group, says Ole Martin Paulson, an environmental crime lawyer and attorney in the Akter Police District.

Dorwild Selas praised the cooperation between the companies that led to the capture.

– Cooperation between Customs, the Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency, Økokrim and the Agder Police District is important to uncover this case and make a decision soon. He says it shows that you can pay to come up with tips on environmental crimes.