CBSA cracks down on guns entering Canada at Alberta border
Posted Apr 19, 2016 3:29 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A warning to those considering bringing a weapon into the country; the Canadian Border Services Agency is watching closely.
Officials say they’ve laid multiple charges following a crack-down at the Alberta border crossings.
The first happened on Feb. 29, 2016, when officers seized a .380-calibre pistol and 24 prohibited magazines from a man at the Coutts border crossing.
Michael Bissonette, 47, of Georgia, is facing 13 charges in total, eight of which are under the Customs Act.
A little more than three weeks later, CBSA officers seized an undeclared .25-calibre handgun and magazine from a Florida man bound for Alaska.
The gun was found in a backpack in the backseat of his pick-up truck, and the magazine was found underneath a floor mat.
He was arrested and then allowed to drive through Canada after paying a $1,000 fine for failing to declare.
On March 16th, 2016, a Utah man pleaded guilty to a CBSA Customs Act charge after failing to answer truthfully.
According to a news release, Brandon Pryor had a .32-calibre handgun in his possession at Coutts and was fined $1,500.
“Guns are seized (at Coutts) throughout the year, I would say this… I’m not sure if you’d call it an average month, it’s just another month where we’re seizing two to three guns and that happens a lot,” officer Luke Reimer said.
He’s warning those considering it to think again and leave firearms at home.
“Know what you have in your vehicle, including firearms,” he said.
The Coutts border crossing was one of the busiest last year in all of Western Canada in terms of weapons seizures.
Two men and a woman were also denied entry last month for past convictions and in one case, trying to work in the country without authorization.
