2 Held, 1 Sought in Killing of Black Bears, Sale of Organs

Wildlife investigators recovered the gallbladders of several black bears, 16 bear paws and hunting licenses displaying the names of other people from a Gardena business Thursday after an arrest this week that allegedly linked the owner to the killing of several black bears and the selling of their organs for medicinal purposes.

California Department of Fish and Game officials said they capped a three-year undercover investigation into the killing of black bears and sale of their gallbladders to apothecaries in the United States and Asia. Arrested on Wednesday were Ye Taek “Kevin” Lim of Gardena, who faces 16 felony and 14 misdemeanor counts, and Kenneth Vernon Smith of Cottonwood, who faces five felony counts and one misdemeanor charge.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a third suspect, David Gene Kuykendall of Anderson, who faces 15 felony counts, and officials said up to 20 more arrests may be made in the coming months.

Fish and Game officials described the investigation as one of the most significant in California history because it reveals a blatant disregard for the bears and state hunting laws.

“This is a rather discouraging reminder that there continues to be an element in the community that will kill animals for profit,” said Fish and Game spokesman Paul Wertz. “It shows a disregard for regulations and codes that are designed to promote sportsmanship, and it violates hunters’ ethics.”

Lim, 46, was arrested in the Northern California town of Anderson and booked at the Shasta County Jail, where he remains in lieu of $750,000 bail, officials said. He faces multiple charges of buying and selling bear parts--which have a street value of up to $2,000--and violating several wildlife codes. He is scheduled to be arraigned today. Smith, 45, was also arrested in Anderson and booked at the same jail. During his arraignment Thursday, Smith pleaded not guilty to four felony charges of selling bear parts, one felony count of conspiracy to sell a gallbladder and a misdemeanor charge of killing a fisher, a protected mink-like animal.

Each charge carries a maximum of three years in state prison or a $10,000 fine.

Authorities allege that over the last three years Lim, a licensed hunting guide who owned K & L Outdoor Enterprises in Gardena, arranged bear hunts in Northern California using local houndsmen, including Smith and Kuykendall, to tree bears--chase the animals up a tree, where they were killed.