Guns seized from Port McNeill, B.C., high school cache
Port McNeill RCMP also found firearms hidden in a wooded area near Sointula
Police have seized a number of guns believed to have been hidden by teenagers in two caches in northern Vancouver Island — one of which was at a local high school.
Port McNeill RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Craig Blanchard said that on Saturday, officers found two guns in a locked, fenced storage area on North Island Secondary school grounds.
Blanchard said police found the weapons while looking into reports that a group of teens had or were hiding a number of firearms.
Blanchard said there is no indication that the guns were being stockpiled with a violent intent towards anyone at the school.
"While it was very concerning to find them on school grounds, all indications are that the youth saw the caged area as a concealed place, away from their homes, to keep these guns hidden," Blanchard said in a written statement.
After finding the school cache, officers went and found several more guns in a wooded area near Sointula, a community to the north on Malcolm Island.
"Investigators are examining the possibility that these guns originated from residential break and enters, and were going to be traded for illegal drugs or sold for cash," Blanchard said.
Port McNeill RCMP is still working to determine where the guns came from, and who is responsible for hiding them.