Edmonton police charge man with 43 offences related to manufacturing 3D-printed firearms

February 28, 2024 Canuck

Police have charged an Edmonton man with several firearms offences as part of a national investigation into 3D-printed guns.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) on Wednesday announced 43 charges against the 29-year-old.

In June, the EPS firearms investigation unit used warrants to search the man’s home, finding and seizing “a significant 3D printed firearms manufacturing operation,” according to a media release from police.

The unit’s investigation began early last year after Quebec police alerted their Edmonton counterparts of the man’s purchases of parts specific to 3D-printed firearms.

The bust on June 20 saw police seize major maufacturing components including a large commercial-grade 3D printer and firearm blueprints, devices that contained illegal computer code to print firearms frames/receivers, 20 handguns, 27 high-capacity magazines and two prohibited semi-automatic firearms believed to have been smuggled into the country from the U.S.

Charges against the man include 13 counts of firearms trafficking (manufacturing) and 13 counts of possession of firearms knowing they’re unauthorized, among others.

Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart of the EPS guns and gangs unit said while 3D-printed firearms aren’t new, this case marks the first significant seizure of them in Edmonton and second-largest such seizure in western Canada.

“The presence of a manufacturing operation suggests that the accused was preparing to traffic these firearms onto the streets of Edmonton,” Stewart said in the release.

“We are hopeful that by disrupting this operation it has decreased the prevalence of 3D firearms on city streets.”

EPS will speak more about the bust on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Watch it live on CTVNewsEdmonton.ca.

View original article here Source