The Toronto Police Service would like to make the public aware of two arrests in a joint-forces cross-border firearms trafficking investigation.
It is alleged that:
- on Sunday, March 16, 2014, acting on information from the Toronto Police Service's Firearm Enforcement Unit, the Canada Border Services Agency stopped a couple and their two children as they crossed into Canada on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls
- a search of their van resulted in the seizure of six concealed handguns
- a seventh handgun was located on the man
- two inert hand grenades, ammunition, over-capacity magazines, and knives were also located in the van
- the discovery of the hand grenades resulted in the temporary closure of several lanes of the Rainbow Bridge
It is further alleged that:
- search warrants of the couple's home resulted in the seizure of an additional 34 firearms, including 20 handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- a subsequent investigation has determined that five firearms smuggled into Canada by the accused were recovered at crime scenes in Toronto and Peel Region, including one used in an attempted murder
Donald Earl Hare, 44, and Amanda Brent, 43, both of Proton Station, Ontario, have been charged with 73 firearm and firearm-trafficking-related charges.
They are scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, room 101, 10 a.m.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2526, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
The joint investigation, led by the Toronto Police Service Firearm Enforcement Unit, involved the Canada Border Services Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Canadian Liaison, Peel Regional Police Service, and the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit. "It is only through these partnerships that investigations of this nature come to a successful conclusion," said TPS Firearm Enforcement Unit investigator, Detective Constable Graham Knill.
"This seizure is an excellent example of the cooperation between CBSA, Toronto Police Services and other law enforcement agencies to keep guns off the streets of our communities," said Rick Comerford, Regional Director General Southern Ontario Region.
For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.
It is alleged that:
- on Sunday, March 16, 2014, acting on information from the Toronto Police Service's Firearm Enforcement Unit, the Canada Border Services Agency stopped a couple and their two children as they crossed into Canada on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls
- a search of their van resulted in the seizure of six concealed handguns
- a seventh handgun was located on the man
- two inert hand grenades, ammunition, over-capacity magazines, and knives were also located in the van
- the discovery of the hand grenades resulted in the temporary closure of several lanes of the Rainbow Bridge
It is further alleged that:
- search warrants of the couple's home resulted in the seizure of an additional 34 firearms, including 20 handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- a subsequent investigation has determined that five firearms smuggled into Canada by the accused were recovered at crime scenes in Toronto and Peel Region, including one used in an attempted murder
Donald Earl Hare, 44, and Amanda Brent, 43, both of Proton Station, Ontario, have been charged with 73 firearm and firearm-trafficking-related charges.
They are scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, room 101, 10 a.m.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2526, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
The joint investigation, led by the Toronto Police Service Firearm Enforcement Unit, involved the Canada Border Services Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Canadian Liaison, Peel Regional Police Service, and the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit. "It is only through these partnerships that investigations of this nature come to a successful conclusion," said TPS Firearm Enforcement Unit investigator, Detective Constable Graham Knill.
"This seizure is an excellent example of the cooperation between CBSA, Toronto Police Services and other law enforcement agencies to keep guns off the streets of our communities," said Rick Comerford, Regional Director General Southern Ontario Region.
For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.