Five Edmonton men are facing more than 100 charges in connection with a major gun-trafficking bust in Alberta’s capital, according to police.
On Thursday, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) announced a two-month investigation involving the Edmonton Police Service, RCMP and National Weapons Enforcement Support team resulted in a significant weapons seizure.
On Sept. 23, ALERT officers seized three rifles, five handguns, body armour, silencers and a crate of various rounds of ammunition as a result of executing four search warrants in west Edmonton.
ALERT alleged the guns were being legally acquired before being “fraudulently” supplied to Edmonton-area criminal networks. They said in some instances, the guns were being altered or had their serial numbers removed before hitting the black market.
Silas Armich, 38, Adrian Barnes, 38, Desmond Rock, 36, and Justin Shipowich, 38, were arrested on the same day the search warrants were executed. James Pike, 38, was arrested last week.
Altogether, the accused face 107 charges ranging from a variety of firearms offences – including firearms trafficking – to providing a false statement.
ALERT said Barnes has a lifetime firearms prohibition because of a previous conviction for importing prohibited firearms. They said he was arrested in 2009 while trying to enter Canada with 10 semi-automatic handguns.