An ALERT investigation into firearms trafficking has resulted in the seizure of 1000 firearms and a million rounds of ammunition from a Cardston gun shop.
Investigators allege that K&D Implements was selling firearms and ammunition illegally and that the activity took place on a number of occasions.
“At this time we don’t have any idea of any crimes that have occurred as a result of these firearms that possibly could have been sold illegally but certainly, without a doubt, it is a grave possibility,” said S/Sgt Jason Walper, with ALERT.
Police conducted a five-month investigation and confiscated the entire firearm inventory from the shop during the execution of a search warrant on May 29.
The following items were seized:
- Over 1 million rounds of ammunition
- 49 handguns
- 972 long guns
- 270 kilograms of gun powder
- 446 kilograms of Tannerite, a binary explosive material
- 12,000 firearm primers
Two of the store’s owners were arrested and are accused of failing to ensure that those purchasing firearms provided valid Possession Acquisition Licenses (PAL), which resulted in the firearms trafficking charge.
“This gun store needlessly put public safety at risk by allowing conceivably anyone to acquire guns. We would be naïve to believe that this was not exploited by organized crime and the criminal element,” said ALERT Lethbridge Staff Sgt. Jason Walper.
“This case was much like many others in that a small piece of information, gathered in the day to day duties of our general duty members, lit the fuse to spark a much larger investigation. I am proud of the work done by our RCMP officers in the communities around the province every day,” said Supt. Garrett Woolsey, RCMP.
Dean Sommerfeldt, 58, and Todd Sommerfeldt, 31 are both charged with trafficking a firearm, possession of weapons for the purpose of trafficking, careless storage of a restricted weapon and transfer of a weapon and/or ammunition without authority.
Both men have been released from police custody with conditions.
