ALERT seizes ‘numerous’ guns as part of Tuesday’s Canada-wide 3D-printed gun raid
Posted June 22, 2023 10:04 am.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) says they seized “numerous” 3D-printed guns as part of a Canada-wide operation on illicit firearms trafficking and manufacturing, on Wednesday.
The investigation was led by Quebec firearms trafficking team, Équipe intégrée de lutte au trafic d’armes (ELITA), which is a joint forces initiative in Quebec using officers from the Montreal Police Service, Sûreté du Québec, RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
ALERT says based on intelligence provided by ELITA, on June 21, their officers searched homes in Grande Prairie, Penhold, Innisfail, Brooks, Lloydminster, and Onoway and recovered “numerous 3D-printed firearms and other firearms parts.”
ALERT has not confirmed how many guns were seized at this time and says a press conference with additional information will be held at a later date.
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- Police arrest 45, seize 440 weapons in Canada-wide raids targeting 3D-printed guns
Despite ALERT not confirming how many guns they’ve seized, ELITA says the investigation, which was also conducted in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, resulted in 64 searches and 45 arrests which resulted in the seizure of 440 firearms, including:
- 62 handguns;
- 71 3D-printed handguns;
- Two 3D-printed long guns;
- One machine pistol;
- 52 3D printers;
- 32 3D-printed magazines;
- 87 silencers, including 63 3D printed;
- 176 3D-printed gun bodies.
“This cross-Canada investigation has highlighted the divergence of technology and organized crime. These 3D-printed firearms are self-produced crime guns designed to evade detection, or modify existing firearms in a prohibited capacity,” said Supt. Marc Cochlin, ALERT CEO.
The Director of Criminal Investigations with the Sûreté du Québec, Chief Inspector Benoit Dubé added, “This operation demonstrates how Canadian police organizations are joining forces to combat the emerging phenomenon of homemade firearms.”
-With files from Tina Tenneriello, CityNews
