Hamilton man charged with importing illegal guns: provincial police

A 24-year-old man from Hamilton faces 19 charges related to importing guns, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say.

Police working with a law enforcement partnership called Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) arrested the man in Burlington on April 16, OPP said in a news release Thursday. They charged the man with offences including importing a firearm knowing it's unauthorized and unauthorized possession of a prohibited device.

The man is in custody and scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on May 14, OPP said.

Police would not say where in Burlington they arrested the man, whether he had prior convictions, how many illegal guns he had or what they suspected he would do with them. OPP spokesperson Angie Sloan said "it would not be appropriate for the OPP to speculate."

"At this time, we have not identified other suspects and the investigation has concluded," Sloan said, adding any firearm deemed a "crime gun" is traced through a provincial program. 

"Illegal firearms are a commodity that are trafficked to other criminals who intend to use them for the commission of an offence. There is a high profit margin on illegal firearms," she said.

The arrest followed an investigation into guns imported to Canada and the U.S., which OPP members of BEST in Niagara worked on with American law enforcement. 

Formed in 2005, BEST is led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Sloan said the provincial police are "a long-standing partner."