Montreal

Police arrest 45, seize 440 weapons in Canada-wide raids targeting 3D printed guns

Police carried out 64 raids and seized 440 guns, including 3D-printed handguns, long guns and silencers, as well as other guns and 3D printers.

Raids took place in 8 provinces on Tuesday

Woman holding a gun.
Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau shows some of the 3D printed ghost guns seized in Operation Centaure during a news conference in Montreal Wednesday. The police operation seized 440 guns including 71 3D printed 'ghost guns' across Canada. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

A Quebec-based anti-gun unit says 45 people have been arrested and 440 guns have been seized in raids targeting manufacturers of 3D-printed or "ghost guns" across eight provinces.

The squad, called the Équipe integrée de lutte au trafic d'armes, told reporters today in Montreal that more than 20 police forces were involved in Canada-wide raids that took place Tuesday.

Police carried out 64 raids and seized 440 guns, including 3D-printed handguns, long guns and silencers, as well as other guns and 3D printers.

The raids took place in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and resulted in 45 arrests.

Four men in uniforms sit at a table in front of a screen and speak into microphones.
SQ chief inspector Benoît Dubé, left, RCMP Superintendent Mathieu Bertrand, 2nd left, OPP Chief Superintendent Paul Mackey, 2nd right, and Interim Director for Canada Border Services Adriano Gianni, right, speak about Opération Centaure. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

Authorities say they're increasingly concerned about untraceable, so-called "ghost guns," which are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers.

The unit co-ordinating the raids was created in 2021 to fight gun crime, and includes officers from Quebec provincial police, Montreal police, RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency.