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(file photo/northeastNOW Staff)
Trafficking cattle charges

Duo charged with trafficking stolen cattle near Jansen

Jul 23, 2020 | 2:43 PM

Two people face charges after a five-month long cattle theft investigation by Lanigan RCMP.

The investigation centred around Caprina Farms and Ranching located near Jansen.

Lanigan RCMP, the Alberta RCMP Livestock Investigations Section (LIS) and members of the Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) were involved in the investigation.

Members from all of those agencies conducted a search of Caprina Farms, which is located in the R.M. of Prairie Rose, in June.

The search led to a substantial recovery of Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle, and it’s reported a large number of animals were trafficked by the accused.

Fifty-nine-year-old Monika Ribi of the R.M. of Prairie Rose has been charged with:

  • Five counts of theft of cattle
  • Two counts of trafficking stolen cattle
  • Fraudulently marking cattle
  • Causing animals to be in distress

Fifty-nine-year-old Andre Ribi of the R.M. of Prairie Rose has been charged with:

  • Theft of cattle
  • Trafficking stolen cattle
  • Fraudulently marking cattle
  • Causing animals to be in distress

Both have been released with conditions, and are scheduled to make their first appearance in Humboldt Provincial Court Aug. 24.

“We recognize the challenges that come with managing farming operations. It’s a big job. Having farmers and ranchers able to specifically identify that something was amiss with their herd or that animals were missing and then take time out of their day to report it, was key to this investigation,” Staff Sergeant Greg Abbott of the RCMP Central District Management Team said in the RCMP news release. “In this instance, it specifically resulted in linkages being made to other inter-provincial files and ultimately resulted in a much larger investigation and charges laid.”

The RCMP Livestock Section is reminding cattle producers of the importance of branding for owner identification purposes.

cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974