Police seized eight handguns and laid 36 charges against Thien Luong, 24, after an extensive organized crime investigation that began in December.
Luong was arrested during a traffic stop on Jan. 31. Following that arrest, police executed search warrants on his vehicle, at a residence located near the McDougall Centre in the Downtown Core, and in the community of Rundle.
Among the firearms seized from those search warrants were a stolen .22 Ruger with a silencer, a modified fully-automatic Glock 31, Springfield 9mm handgun, Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 handgun, a Sig Sauer P938, a Glock 42 380 Auto handgun, a Taurus .38 Special, and a Glock 43x 9mm handgun.
A number of the handguns were found to have been loaded at the time they were seized, Calgary police said.
“In this case, tireless and steadfast investigative work led to the arrest of an individual and the removal of eight unlawful firearms from our streets,” said Acting Staff Sergeant Mike Sushelnitsky of the Calgary Police Service Organized Crime Response Unit.
“Organized crime, drug trafficking and the associated violence has no place in our community, and we will continue to target those who are involved.”
Police believe seven of the eight firearms were smuggled into Canada, and the investigation into their origin is ongoing. Police allege that the firearms were unlawfully possessed.
Police also seized several hundred rounds of ammunition, a taser, a collapsible baton, and more than 1.8 kilograms of cocaine, Fentanyl, Oxycontin, Xanax, and cannabis.
Among the charges that Luong is facing include possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession for use in production of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm obtained by crime, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a prohibited device and possession of the proceeds of crime.
Luong will appear in court on Feb. 27.
