A Maple Ridge resident has been ordered to pay a significant $50,000 penalty and is prohibited from hunting for ten years after admitting to a series of serious poaching offences across British Columbia.
Guilty Plea to Multiple Wildlife Charges
Daniel Gazzola entered a guilty plea in Kamloops provincial court earlier this month to five separate counts under the provincial Wildlife Act. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS).
Details of the Poaching Incidents
The court heard details of several egregious violations. Gazzola was convicted for hunting and killing a female mountain goat and her kid outside the legal hunting season. In a separate incident, he also illegally took a thinhorn mountain stone sheep (Dall sheep) that was under the permitted age.
His unlawful activities extended beyond the illegal take of animals. Gazzola was found to have knowingly made false statements on records at a cold storage or butcher shop. He also demonstrated reckless behaviour by firing a rifle within 100 metres of several homes, showing a disregard for public safety. An additional charge was laid for unlawfully hunting mule deer after he had already reached his seasonal limit for that species.
Substantial Penalties and Conservation Funding
The provincial court imposed a $10,000 fine for each of the five counts, totalling $50,000. The majority of this financial penalty is directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, an organization that funds conservation and educational projects throughout British Columbia.
In addition to the monetary fine, Gazzola received a 10-year hunting ban. This prohibition means he cannot hunt, purchase a hunting licence, or even accompany other hunters in B.C. for the duration of the ban. He has also been ordered to submit a written apology to the Conservation Officer Service.
Wider Investigation Nets Other Convictions
The case against Gazzola was part of a larger COS probe that involved four individuals. Two others have already been sentenced for their roles.
In early December, Nicole Elie Rogers pleaded guilty to one count under the Wildlife Act for allowing another person to use her hunting species licence. She was fined $7,000 and received a three-year hunting prohibition.
Cole Rogozinski was sentenced in August. He was penalized $7,000 for the offence of knowingly making a false statement.
A fourth individual, Emmanuel Porcellato, is awaiting trial. His court date is scheduled for June 2026.
The convictions underscore the ongoing efforts by provincial authorities to combat illegal hunting and protect vulnerable wildlife populations through stringent enforcement of the Wildlife Act.
