They killed at night, butchered on site, and resold the meat under the counter. Two men in their fifties and sixties were arrested on Monday, May 5, 2025, by the Bayeux gendarmerie, after a lengthy investigation into illegal game trafficking in the Cerisy national forest, southwest of Bayeux (Calvados). Between them, they allegedly sold up to a ton of deer meat, butchered clandestinely and then resold in a still-elusive network. The modus operandi was well-rehearsed: at nightfall, the two suspects would drive along the edge of the forest, turn off the engine as soon as an animal was spotted, and shoot the game using rifles with thermal and silenced scopes. On site, they would remove the meat, leaving the remains. Wild mass graves were discovered throughout the forest, fueling growing concern among local residents.
A meticulous hunt and a thorough dismantling
Three months of investigation, wiretapping, nighttime surveillance, cooperation between the gendarmerie, the OFB, the municipal police, game wardens, and residents: everything converged toward the dismantling of this seasoned team, whose illegal activity was gaining momentum. At the time of the arrest, investigators seized two vehicles used for poaching, around ten big game weapons, as well as numerous clues supporting the accusations. The two men were released from custody the following day, but will soon be brought before the courts, where the exact scale of the trafficking will have to be established. "This is the first time I've worked on a case of this kind," confides Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Thoumelin, who emphasizes the importance of teamwork when faced with "very cunning" poachers. The Balleroy forest has returned to calm, but the shock remains: gunshots in the night, abandoned animal remains, and trafficking that, this time, has not escaped the vigilance of the authorities.
