Regina man arrested during Canada-wide crackdown on ‘ghost’ guns

A nationwide crackdown on “ghost” guns Tuesday touched down in the Regina area.

In a media release Wednesday, the Saskatchewan RCMP said officers from its Federal Policing National Security Enforcement Section and from the Regina Police Service executed search warrants at a house in the 1100 block of Grey Street in Regina and a storage facility on Inland Drive just north of the city.

According to the release, police seized some 3D-printed weapons as well as other guns and ammunition.

The final tally included: Seven long guns; four fully completed and assembled 3D-printed semi-automatic handguns with ammo magazines; four semi-automatic pistols; approximately 10,000 rounds of ammunition; numerous over-capacity ammunition magazines; gas masks, night vision goggles and other tactical equipment; and a 3D printer.

A 29-year-old Regina man, Dalton Fisher, was arrested and charged with 12 weapons-related offences. He made his first court appearance Wednesday.

The release said the National Weapons Support Team, RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Saskatchewan, Regina Police Service, Saskatchewan Provincial Prosecutions, RCMP Regina Integrated Intelligence Unit, Division Operational Communication Centre and White Butte RCMP detachment all participated in Fisher’s apprehension.

The raid was part of an operation conducted across the country Tuesday.

A Quebec-based anti-gun unit said Wednesday that 45 people had been arrested across eight provinces. The raids targeted the manufacturers of “ghost” guns that are printed on 3D printers.

During a media conference in Montreal, police said they conducted 64 raids and seized 440 guns, including 3D-printed handguns, long guns and silencers, as well as other guns and 3D printers.

In addition to Saskatchewan, raids took place in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. More than 20 police forces were involved.

Authorities have said they’re growing increasingly concerned about “ghost” guns, which are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers and are virtually untraceable.

— With files from The Canadian Press