A Montreal court has fined three individuals a total of $34,000 for their involvement in the illegal trafficking of black bear bile, which is a clear violation of the Wildlife Act that protects threatened species in Canada.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Environmental and Climate Change Agency (ECCC) announced that the sentences were handed down after receiving reports of illegal organ trafficking between May 2017 and August 2018.

The bile found within the bear's gallbladder is sought after by those who believe it has medicinal properties, but this organ trade is illegal; however, it can still appear in the black market.

On July 18, Tran Dinh Tuan Vu was fined $5,000 in Montreal court after pleading guilty to one charge, and on Tuesday, Thi Kim Loan Nguyen pleaded guilty to one charge and was fined $5,000, while Minh Truong Hai Nguyen pleaded guilty to four charges and received a fine of $24,000, which will be paid into the federal government's environmental damages fund.

It is noted that the three individuals were transporting bear organs from New Brunswick to Quebec, and this is not the first time individuals in Quebec have been caught in the bear bile trade, a practice that has been prohibited in the province since 1998.