Red Deer gun raid: 16 suspected stolen firearms seized
ALERT operation nets 230 guns, drugs charges against 5 suspects
Sixteen guns believed to be stolen from homes throughout Red Deer and central Alberta have been recovered by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, officials say.
The firearms were seized from a downtown Red Deer home on Jan. 23 by ALERT officers acting on a search warrant.
Five people were arrested and are facing a total of 230 charges related to drugs and guns.
Over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 28 grams of methamphetamine and a variety of stolen property was also discovered.
Growing trend
The seizure “highlights a growing Alberta trend of crime guns being acquired through residential and commercial break and enters,” ALERT said in a written release.
Between 2008 and 2013 there was a 1440 per cent increase in the number of incidents of breaking and entering to steal a firearm, according to Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta (CISA).
- 2008: 10 incidents
- 2009: 51 incidents
- 2010: 105 incidents
- 2011: 107 incidents
- 2012: 130 incidents
- 2013: 154 incidents
ALERT is continuing to investigate with help from the RCMP’s National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST).
ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government. Nearly 400 municipal police, RCMP and sheriffs work on the team.