Saskatoon teen charged in cross-border weapons smuggling investigation
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) have charged a 16-year-old in connection with an alleged weapons smuggling investigation.
The investigation began on Sept. 2 after CBSA were alerted to a “suspicious" package at the Vancouver International Mail Centre that was being sent to an address in Saskatoon.
“Officers examined the package and discovered two gun barrels and two overcapacity 9mm magazines prohibited in Canada under the Criminal Code and Firearms Act.,” SPS said in a news release.
The items were packaged as a commonly-used construction tool and were shipped from the U.S., according to police
On Sept. 8 CBSA referred the case to the SPS and the guns and gangs unit began to investigate. A search warrant was issued on Sept. 13 for a home in the 2500-block of Albert Avenue.
SPS said a loaded, sawed-off .22 calibre rifle and ammunition was found a the home.
Other items were seized, including a 83mm barrel, a 102mm barrel, two 15-round capacity magazines and ammunition. Bear spray was also seized, SPS said.
Police arrested a 16-year-old boy at the scene. He is facing gun-related charges including possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and importing a prohibited device to Canada.
SPS deputy chief Randy Huisman said Saskatoon was not immune to criminal activity like weapons smuggling.
“Saskatoon, like many other communities across the country, has seen an increase in the number of firearms tied to criminal activity. Partnerships with agencies like the CBSA give police a greater opportunity to be proactive in removing these firearms from the community," Huisman said in the new release.
“CBSA officers and staff are committed to detecting and intercepting prohibited firearms and firearm parts, as well as other weapons and dangerous goods, before they enter Canada,” Brad Wozny, Regional Director General, CBSA Prairie Region said.
“The seizure announced today is a great example of how our officers work together across jurisdictions and with local law enforcement partners to keep Canadians safe.”
The teen has been released on conditions. SPS said the investigation is ongoing.
According to CBSA statistics, there were over 50,000 prohibited firearms seized between 2020 and 2021, and over 70,000 between 2021 and 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.