SPOKANE--A Spokane man is in jail, accused of buying black bear gallbladders from undercover Dept. of Fish & Wildlife agents. 

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It may sound like a strange crime, but the gallbladder black market is a lucrative business.  A bear’s gallbladder can be sold for thousands of dollars, particularly in Asia, but buying or selling them in the US is illegal.

Authorities arrested Jason Yon, the owner of Jax in Spokane Valley, after finding the bear parts in a refrigerator in his food store while conducting an animal trafficking sting.

KREM 2 News has learned that Yon bought two black bear gallbladders from undercover cops for about $400. Yon’s lawyer says he’s innocent, and the sting may be a sticky issue in court.

Washington Fish and Wildlife officers say the gallbladder trade is more common than one may think. Outside of Asia, bear bile is worthless, so most of the gallbladders sold in the US are exported.

The Gallbladder Market

The bear gallbladder trade is just part of a growing market in Asia for bear parts, including organs and paws.

The bile taken from the gallbladders contains a chemical called ursodeoxycholic acid. The acid is used in traditional Asian medicine as a treatment for conditions ranging from liver inflammation to headaches and hangovers. Bear bile has also been found in a variety of products, including wine and shampoo. Ursodeoxycholic acid can be made synthetically and, according to World Society for the Protection of Animals, an advocacy group, there are also herbal remedies that could replace bear parts such as pulsatilla root, honeysuckle flower, dandelion herb and isatis leaf.

Bear paws are often used as a luxury ingredient in traditional soup.

Bear gallbladders, which may ulitmately sell for thousands of dollars, are smuggled like illegal drugs, and have been found hidden in freezers and even bottles of chocolate syrup to prevent detection. The trade is illegal in the majority of states, but it is difficult for authorities to identify where bear parts may have come from, so enforcement of the law is inconsistent.