In August 2019, border services officers at mail centres in Toronto and Vancouver intercepted firearm suppressors during an attempt to smuggle them into Canada. In September 2019, CBSA criminal investigators executed a search warrant at a Porters Lake residence in Nova Scotia with the assistance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Weapons Enforcement Support Team. The search warrant resulted in various weapons and prohibited devices being seized, including a 3D printed gun and various other firearms.
Brian Burke Taylor, 68, was charged on September 1, 2020 under the Customs Act and the Criminal Code of Canada and is facing 23 charges in relation to the importation, possession, manufacture, and unsafe storage of various firearms and prohibited devices.
Taylor appeared in Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Dartmouth on September 24, 2020.
Quotes
"This case demonstrates the continued hard work of border services officers and CBSA Investigators to keep firearms and prohibited devices out of Canada, and off our streets. By working together, CBSA employees from across the country interrupted the smuggling of prohibited devices and conducted a criminal investigation that resulted in additional firearms being seized. This is just one more example of the type of work CBSA does every day to keep Canada safe."
Dominic Mallette
Director, Intelligence and Enforcement, CBSA Atlantic Region
Quick facts
-
In 2019, CBSA intercepted 20,103 prohibited firearms, weapons and devices nationally. A total of 82 of these were intercepted in Atlantic Canada.
-
Prohibited devices include suppressors, handgun barrels less than 155 mm in length, replica firearms and high-capacity magazines. Prohibited weapons include switchblades, stun guns, pepper spray and brass knuckles. For a list of prohibited devices and weapons visit: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/iefw-iefa-eng.html.
-
Travellers, mail, courier, and commercial shipments continue to be subject to the Customs Act and are examined by CBSA.
-
If you have information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060.
