Calgary man with alleged ties to organized crime arrested, 8 guns seized

Calgary police say 36 charges have been laid against one man and eight unlawfully possessed firearms were seized following a two-month-long investigation. (Calgary Police Service handout)

A Calgary man is facing dozens of charges after police seized an arsenal of guns last month, many of which were allegedly smuggled into Canada.

The two-month-long investigation began at the start of December 2022 after officers identified a person believed to be connected to organized crime and drug trafficking.

On Jan. 31, police took the suspect into custody during a traffic stop and searched his vehicle as well as two homes – one in the 800 block of Fourth Avenue S.W. and the other in the900 block of Rundleside Drive N.E. 

As a result of the searches, police seized the following items:

• A stolen and loaded Ruger .22 handgun with a silencer;
• A Glock 31 handgun that had been modified to be fully automatic;
• A loaded Springfield 9mm handgun;
• A loaded Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 handgun;
• A Sig Sauer P938 9mm handgun;
• A Glock 42 380 Auto handgun;
• A loaded Taurus .38 Special handgun;
• A Glock 43x 9mm handgun;
• Several hundred rounds of various ammunition;
• A Taser;
• A collapsible baton;
• More than 1.8 kilograms of drugs including cocaine, fentanyl, Oxycontin, Xanax and cannabis; and
• Drug production and packaging materials.

Thien Luong, 24, of Calgary, is charged with 36 offences including:

• Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of a firearm obtained by crime;
• Possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition;
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm;
• Possession of a prohibited device; and
• Possession of the proceeds of crime.

"All the firearms seized in this investigation were unlawfully possessed by the accused," said police in a Tuesday news release.

"Seven of the firearms are believed to have been smuggled into Canada and the remaining firearm was determined to be stolen."

Luong remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 27.