A “significant” number of ghost guns have been taken off the streets after two separate raids on homes in the Okanagan. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it made the seizures after intercepting parts entering the country at international mail hubs. CBSA officials say the 3-D printed parts are mailed to Canada and assembled as “ghost weapons,” which have no serial number and cannot be traced. The latest seizure came after CBSA officers traced firearm parts arriving via international mail in both Toronto and Vancouver. This led the researchers to look at the people who import the parts. As a result of the investigation, agents raided homes in both West Kelowna and Luby. On April 27, CBSA officers say a 3D printer was in the process of creating a lower receiver for a handgun when they raided a home in West Kelowna. Six more hand-held receivers were also seized. A 46-year-old man was arrested and released pending further enquiries. The following day investigators seized a loaded 9mm handgun without a serial number, nine unregistered long guns, a prohibited knife, a stun gun and four cartridges of ammunition during a raid on a home in Lumby. A 27-year-old man, who officials say was prohibited from possessing a gun, was arrested and released pending further investigation. “Canada Border Services Agency officers remain on the lookout to seize contraband firearms and firearm components. This continues to be a top priority for the Agency and an important way we contribute to public safety in Canada by protecting the communities we serve on a daily basis,” said CBSA Director of Intelligence and Enforcement John Linde. From January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022, CBSA’s Pacific region seized 581 firearms at ports of entry and another 218 while executing border-related search warrants.
