Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:37 pm
Canadian Border Services Seize Replica Firearms
CanadaThursday, July 31, 2008
Border Services probe nets 800 illegal replica guns, 78 criminal charges
Steve Mertl, THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER - Canada Border Services Agency has charged four B.C. men for reselling replica handguns meant to be used for TV and film productions.
The agency wrapped up a two-year investigation that resulted in the seizure of 800 replica guns in all and 78 criminal charges.
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"What we were looking into was the importation and sale of these replica firearms, mainly in the Lower Mainland," agency spokeswoman Shakila Manzoor said Thursday.
Charges range from smuggling and making false statements to trafficking and unlawfully importing the replica firearms.
The two charged most recently were George Tickell and Matthew John Walsh, both of Mission, B.C., who are scheduled to appear in Richmond, B.C., provincial court Aug. 21.
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It's alleged Tickell had a business firearms licence to import replica guns for the entertainment industry but instead sold them to Walsh, who marketed them through two hobby stores he owned in Mission.
Two other Vancouver-area men were charged previously in the two-year probe, said Manzoor.
Peter Kang and his company Real Ordnance Inc. each face 21 charges while Willie Wong has pleaded guilty to seven charges.
Manzoor said the guns were sold to customers at the hobby store, as well as other retailers and Internet website customers, retailing for anywhere from $40 to $1,600.
The investigation into who bought the guns is continuing, she said.
Police investigators have said in the past they sometimes seize replica handguns from street thugs who want to bolster their reputations but can't obtain a real gun.
The replicas, impressively accurate fakes of Glock, Colt, Smith & Wesson and other well-known makes, were made of high-grade plastic composites or metal but could not be modified to fire bullets.
"The replicas we encountered in our investigation were very high-precision replicas of popular gun models," Manzoor said. "Many even included such details as the real manufacturer's trademarks."
Link - http://www.mytelus.com/ncp_news/article ... ID=2966443
Border Services probe nets 800 illegal replica guns, 78 criminal charges
Steve Mertl, THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER - Canada Border Services Agency has charged four B.C. men for reselling replica handguns meant to be used for TV and film productions.
The agency wrapped up a two-year investigation that resulted in the seizure of 800 replica guns in all and 78 criminal charges.
Notebooks: Don't pay for shipping
"What we were looking into was the importation and sale of these replica firearms, mainly in the Lower Mainland," agency spokeswoman Shakila Manzoor said Thursday.
Charges range from smuggling and making false statements to trafficking and unlawfully importing the replica firearms.
The two charged most recently were George Tickell and Matthew John Walsh, both of Mission, B.C., who are scheduled to appear in Richmond, B.C., provincial court Aug. 21.
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It's alleged Tickell had a business firearms licence to import replica guns for the entertainment industry but instead sold them to Walsh, who marketed them through two hobby stores he owned in Mission.
Two other Vancouver-area men were charged previously in the two-year probe, said Manzoor.
Peter Kang and his company Real Ordnance Inc. each face 21 charges while Willie Wong has pleaded guilty to seven charges.
Manzoor said the guns were sold to customers at the hobby store, as well as other retailers and Internet website customers, retailing for anywhere from $40 to $1,600.
The investigation into who bought the guns is continuing, she said.
Police investigators have said in the past they sometimes seize replica handguns from street thugs who want to bolster their reputations but can't obtain a real gun.
The replicas, impressively accurate fakes of Glock, Colt, Smith & Wesson and other well-known makes, were made of high-grade plastic composites or metal but could not be modified to fire bullets.
"The replicas we encountered in our investigation were very high-precision replicas of popular gun models," Manzoor said. "Many even included such details as the real manufacturer's trademarks."
Link - http://www.mytelus.com/ncp_news/article ... ID=2966443