B.C. RCMP seize huge cache of guns, parts, ammunition from alleged firearm trafficker

Surrey RCMP say they seized more than three dozen firearms, along with gun parts and more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition from an alleged gun trafficker.

At a press conference Wednesday, Mounties said police located the weapons and associated gear in a Dec. 1 search of a warehouse in the 1300-block of Ketch Court in Coquitlam.

Police arrested a 42-year-old man at the scene, who was released pending further investigation.

RCMP said the investigation had been targeting a “Provincial Tactical Enforcement Priority (PTEP) target,” a police term for a person or group that poses a threat to public safety through links to organized crime or their behaviour.

In this case, the suspect didn’t have known gang ties, police said, but was allegedly a risk because of “their proliferation of easily accessible prohibited firearms and ammunition,” Surrey RCMP proactive enforcement officer Insp. Ryan Element said.

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“What was particularly concerning was that this individual showed no regard to who he sold prohibited weapons to.”

During the search, police seized 37 firearms, including two 3D-printed Glock “ghost guns,” a pistol, 26 carbine rifles, two shotguns and six hunting rifles.

A “ghost gun” is a firearm with no serial number, making it “essentially untraceable,” Element said.

They also seized body armour, parts to modify guns and hundreds of magazines, some of which were loaded or illegal.

RCMP said the investigation was ongoing, with “many additional crucial steps required” before charges could be laid.