The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Criminal Investigations Unit has laid a total of 10 charges against two individuals in separate seizures at the port of North Portal, Saskatchewan. Each individual is facing three charges under the Customs Act and two charges under the Criminal Code.
On October 19, 2014, CBSA officers examined Loyce Carlton Means Jr’s pickup truck and seized a fully loaded .40 calibre firearm concealed inside his truck. Means, 25, of Pearland, Texas, was arrested and then released on recognizance until his first court appearance in Estevan Provincial Court on December 15, 2014.
On October 27, 2014, CBSA officers examined Ronald Kelvin Chavers’s pickup truck and seized a fully loaded 9mm handgun concealed inside. Chavers, 55, of Monticello, Mississippi, was arrested and then released on recognizance until his next court appearance in Regina Provincial Court on November 27, 2014.
Quick Facts
- Officers in southern Saskatchewan have seized 31 undeclared firearms in 2014 – 26 of which were seized at North Portal.
- The CBSA advises travellers that they are required to declare all goods they are bringing into Canada, including any firearms and weapons in their possession.
- Canadian residents and non-residents importing firearms and weapons into Canada must declare them and meet all licensing and registration requirements under the Firearms Act.
- Failure to declare goods, including firearms, and other Customs Act contraventions may lead to prosecution in a court of law.
Quotes
“CBSA officers in the Prairie Region are relentless in their efforts to intercept firearms from being smuggled into Canada. Our goal will continue to be to target and disrupt smugglers in order to provide security to Canadians and to prevent these firearms from ending up in criminal hands.”
Kim Scoville, Acting Regional Director General, CBSA Prairie Region
Associated Links
Fact Sheet: Planning to Bring Firearms to Canada?
Importing a Firearm or Weapon into Canada
Recruitment – Be Ready - Become a CBSA officer
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Contact
Lisa White
Canada Border Services Agency
PrairieMedia@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
1-844-245-2272
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