ONTARIO – So far this year, officers with the Canada Border Services Agency have seized 231 firearms that people were trying to bring across the border of the southern Ontario region.
The guns were seized from multiple ports of entry between Jan. 1 and Aug. 30. Last year, 305 guns were seized, and 235 were seized in 2017.
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The agency released information about several seizures this year:
March
A vehicle was referred to secondary for examination at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie on March 11. During the examination, BSOs discovered 12 undeclared handguns concealed inside the vehicle along with 11 prohibited over-capacity magazines. All firearms and magazines were seized. A United States resident was charged by the CBSA.
April
On April 20, a vehicle driven by a United States resident arrived at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and was referred to secondary for examination. During the examination, BSOs supported by a detector dog team discovered 11 undeclared handguns and several prohibited over capacity magazines concealed inside the vehicle. All firearms and magazines were seized. The individual was charged by the CBSA.
A few days later, 10 undeclared handguns and prohibited over capacity magazines were found concealed in the vehicle of a United States resident who was referred to secondary for examination at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie. The individual was charged by the CBSA.
May
On May 1, a vehicle was referred to secondary for examination at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. During the examination, BSOs discovered six undeclared handguns and two prohibited magazines concealed within the vehicle. All firearms were seized. A Canadian resident was charged by the CBSA.
June
On June 20, a vehicle was referred to secondary for examination at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. During the examination, BSOs discovered 15 undeclared handguns along with 26 various capacity magazines concealed inside a vehicle. Two males and one female, all United States residents, were charged by the CBSA.
July
On July 1, BSOs at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge in Niagara-on-the-Lake seized three undeclared handguns and a prohibited magazine. The firearms were found in a vehicle occupied by two United States residents. The travelers paid the $3,500 terms of release for the conveyance and they were all returned to the United States.
On July 12, a traveler arrived at the Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward and declared one handgun. Following a referral to secondary, the United States resident declared another firearm. Upon further examination of his vehicle, BSOs discovered three more firearms. The three undeclared firearms were seized and a conveyance penalty of $2,500 was paid. The traveler returned to the United States.
August
A vehicle arrived at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel in Windsor on Aug. 1 and was referred to secondary. During the examination, BSOs found two undeclared firearms in the driver's purse. The driver paid the $2,000 terms of release for the conveyance, the firearms were seized and she returned to the United States.
On Aug. 20, a recreational motor vehicle driven by a United States resident arrived at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and was referred to secondary. During the examination, BSOs discovered three handguns, one semi-automatic rifle and one shotgun within the vehicle. The individual was charged by the CBSA.
