SHERBROOKE -- RCMP officers have arrested a 24-year-old man and seized a cache of 249 prohibited handguns in a Quebec town near the U.S. border.
Police announced Tuesday that they intercepted a suspicious vehicle in Dundee, in southwestern Quebec, on Friday, during a border surveillance operation. The car was driving on Beaver Road, a rural road leading to an old road that once crossed the U.S. border. This old road is now blocked by a cul-de-sac.
A search of the vehicle's interior and trailer led them to discover five hockey bags containing a large number of disassembled firearms parts.
RCMP officers seized 249 disassembled prohibited Polymer 80 (P80) PF940C Glock type handguns.
The driver of the vehicle, Sherbrooke resident William Rainville, was immediately arrested for allegedly importing firearms.
"All the parts needed to make the weapons operational were present, according to the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST), which assisted in the investigation," the news release read. "According to NWEST, even when disassembled, each part is illegal and considered a firearm under the Criminal Code."
Officers also seized 249 prohibited magazines, with a capacity of 15 rounds each, as well as the subject's vehicle, cell phone and laptop.
Rainville appeared in court by videoconference on Saturday and again on Monday.
He faces multiple charges, including importing restricted firearms, possession of prohibited weapons, possession of prohibited devices, and possession of firearms for the purpose of trafficking.
The accused remains in custory and other charges may follow as the investigation continues, the RCMP said.
- With files from The Canadian Press
