A 24-year-old Winnipeg man is in custody after a lengthy firearms trafficking investigation by Winnipeg police and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The investigation began in November of last year, police said, when they were tipped of by CBSA that goods believed to be used in the assembly of 3D-printed guns were intercepted en route to Winnipeg by mail.
This spring, police learned that the would-be recipient of the parts had also tried to buy gun parts in Calgary and Montreal, in both cases under a false identity.
Between April and May of this year, police said, the accused is believed to have assembled a 3D-printed gun — later recovered by police — which he then trafficked to a third party.
A raid on a Prevette Avenue home in Winnipeg on June 25 led to the seizure of various 3D-printed gun parts and compatible ammunition.
The suspect is now in custody facing five counts of weapons manufacturing/trafficking, two counts each of identity theft and identity fraud, two counts of possession contrary to an order, possessing a prohibited device, and participating or consenting to the making of false statements.