Toronto police say they have dismantled a gun-smuggling ring after a woman was stopped at the U.S. border with 25 handguns hidden in the gas tank of her SUV.
On Oct. 31, a 50-year-old Toronto woman was stopped by border officials while attempting to cross into Canada at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, Ont. The woman had been flagged by the Toronto Police Service, and her car, a rental Nissan Rogue, was stripped and searched. After the gas tank was cut in two, the handguns – each one wrapped in plastic – were discovered concealed inside the tank.
The driver, Rima Mansour, was charged with importing illegal firearms, possession of a firearm knowing the possession is unauthorized, and possession of prohibited over-capacity magazines.
At a news conference at Toronto police headquarters on Wednesday, Deputy Chief James Ramer praised the Firearms Enforcement Unit for their work on the months-long investigation, dubbed Project Belair.
These guns, he said, were “destined to be sold and used by criminals and gang members here in the city and throughout the GTA. And they only have one purpose.”
After a surge of gun violence in multiple big Canadian cities in recent years, the federal government is currently considering whether to ban handguns and assault weapons altogether. There have been more than 350 shootings in Toronto so far this year, which have resulted in 45 deaths.
David Glos, director of enforcement and intelligence operations for the Canada Border Services Agency, noted on Wednesday that a firearms seizure of this magnitude is rare, despite the fact that guns are coming across the border “every single day.” However, the majority of cases, he said, are American visitors who forget to declare their legal firearms. But he said guns also come in through criminal means on a monthly basis.
Guns that can be purchased legally for $300 to $500 in the United States, Acting Inspector Don Belanger of the Toronto police said on Wednesday, can be resold on the black market here for between $2,000 and $5,000.
“Its lucrative, and there’s a demand,” Deputy Chief Ramer said.
The serial numbers on all but one of the guns seized in Project Belair are intact and are in the process of being traced, Insp. Belanger said. The ones they have successfully traced so far link back to the states of Florida and Georgia. The investigation, in collaboration with multiple agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is continuing.
On Nov. 1, one day after the border raid, police executed additional search warrants on homes and vehicles across the GTA. Three additional people – Alan Cunningham, 52, of Brampton; Colin Levy, 52, of Brampton; and William Datta, 41, of Ajax – are facing various firearms-related charges. An additional five guns were also seized, as well as 13 kilograms of marijuana, 136 rounds of ammunition, 280 grams of cocaine and $45,000 in cash.
“I think we’ve effectively dismantled one firearm-importation ring,” Insp. Belanger said on Wednesday. “I’m confident in that.”
He said it appeared there had been an attempt to vacuum seal the guns before they were concealed in the tank. But the wrapping was not done well, and all of the guns ended up soaked with gasoline.
“They did a very poor job of sealing them, which leads me to conclude perhaps this may have been the first time they tried this, but that is speculation on my part,” he said.
Molly Hayes