The Poacher’s Bodega
Gilberto Lopez posing with an illegally killed Black Bear on September 25, 2021
The “E-Bike Gang”, a group of 6 Californian men charged with years of poaching and fraudulent Fish & Game hunting tags and licenses. In total, 21 charges have been filed against this E-bike crew. The charges consist of; forgery, receiving of stolen property, animal cruelty, conspiracy, fraud, and possession of an untagged bear. The investigation took place over a year. The 6 men in the E-bike gang worked hand in hand with the owner of the Lizette’s Market in Piru
Juventino Reyes Guerrero working the register at Lizette’s Market.
The owner of Lizette’s Market, Juventino Reyes Guerrero, denied all allegations claiming to know nothing of this poaching ring. Officers showed evidence of Juventino reprinting multiple deer, bear, and hunting licenses for the E-Bike gang. Juventino used his step-daughter’s login for the register to avoid any evidence that the printing was his doing. From June 2019 to October 2021, Juventino reprinted hunting tags which allowed the E-Bike gang to avoid pose their harvest as “legal”. Juventino blamed the multiple printed tags on poor print quality. Every hunting tag that is printed is tracked in California’s automated license data system. All together, 64 hunting tags were reprinted and reported, while 120 reprinted tags were never reported.
Gilberto Lopez Hernandez, Jaime Mendoza Avila, and Walfre Lopez posing with a deer taken on Nov. 7, 2020 (Ventura County District Attorney’s Office/California
Game wardens took notice of the gang while patrolling the Los Padres National Forest (D13 for Californian hunters) around the northern Ventura County areas. A member of the E-Bike gang was given a warning from a Game Warden due to having a loaded round in the chamber while on his e-bike. Avila Mendoza told the Game Warden that they were a part of a hunting club known as the “E-Bike Oxnard Crew”. The Wardens received several tips from law-abiding hunters and hikers that the same group was illegally killing game in wildlife sanctuaries and on oil fields that were clearly restricted to the public.
The E-Bike gang used radios to avoid detection of Game Wardens. But, their efforts were pointless due to the gang being spotted multiple times on hidden game cameras in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. This Condor sanctuary is closed to the public due to the nesting grounds of the California Condor.
Photograph of an illegally poached bear
The men involved, identified in public records as Martin M. Bravo, Martin Bravo Sr., Jaime Mendoza Avila, Walfre Lopez y Lopez, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez and Cristian Lopez Perez, are accused of working in concert together to fraudulently obtain California hunting tags, licenses and other entitlements.
The Black Bear in the image above was recovered from Martin Bravo Sr’s house. The Game Wardens confiscated antlers, a mountain lion skull (HIGHLY illegal in California), antlers, and multiple taxidermy animals. Martin Bravo is also under current investigation for cock fighting. Most of the E-Bike crew admitted to illegally killing wild game and purchasing reprinted game tags from Lizette’s Market.
In the most controversial admittance, multiple members admitted to exchanging wild game meat in order to obtain the reprinted game tags. Though Reyes (the owner of Lizette’s) denied all charges, officials obtained text messages and WhatsApp messages confirming the involvement of Lizette’s owner in the poaching operation. The men are currently in custody with their bail being placed at $200,000. Walfre Lopez is on the run from the law and has an active warrant out for his arrest.