Latest news with #CustomsAct
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
News briefs for Friday, June 27, 2025
A collection of breaking news briefs filed on Friday, June 27, 2025 8:06 PM Manitoba's Carter Bear was selected 13th-overall by the Detroit Red Wings on Friday in the first round of the 2025 NHL draft. Bear is from Peguis First Nation and grew up in West St. Paul. The 18-year-old has played the last three seasons with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. He had 82 points (40G, 42A) in 56 regular-season games last year before suffering a cut Achilles which required surgery. Conor Geekie was the last Manitoban to be selected in the first round, going 11th-overall to the Arizona Coyotes back in 2022. 3:19 PM A Beausejour man has been sentenced to five years in prison after an investigation into illegal gun manufacturing, the Canada Border Services Agency says. Robert Ripcik, 57, was arrested on March 12, 2024. He pleaded guilty in Selkirk provincial court to three gun charges under the Criminal Code and two offences under the Customs Act and was sentenced Friday. The CBSA's investigation began when border officers examined a shipment in April 2023 and found items related to the production of firearms without serial numbers. Such weapons are known as ghost guns because the firearms aren't easily traceable. Mounties searched a rural property near Chatfield in March 2024 and seized guns and a 3D printer, among other items. CBSA officers returned to the property the next month and seized more items. 10:09 AM A teen was taken to hospital with serious injuries after he was attacked by a large group of males wielding machetes in Thompson on Tuesday. RCMP were sent to an open area off Duke Place at 4:40 a.m. The victim's injuries were not life-threatening, police said in a news release Friday. Officers eventually arrested an 18-year-old man and two younger males, ages 17 and 16. The man is charged with aggravated assault, while the younger males were released and given a court date. More arrests are expected, RCMP said. 9:40 AM A failure in a lithium-ion battery or charger is the suspected cause of a house fire on Magnus Avenue. Crews were sent to the one-and-a-half-storey home on the 400 block at 10:03 p.m. Thursday and declared the fire under control at 10:30 p.m. The City of Winnipeg's emergency social services team was contacted to help displaced residents, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release Friday.
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Beausejour man sentenced for gun crimes
A Beausejour man has been sentenced to five years in prison after an investigation into illegal gun manufacturing, the Canada Border Services Agency says. Robert Ripcik, who is in his 50s, was arrested on March 12, 2024. He later pleaded guilty in Selkirk provincial court to three gun charges under the Criminal Code and two offences under the Customs Act. The CBSA's investigation began when border officers examined a shipment in April 2023 and found items related to the production of firearms without serial numbers. Such weapons are known as ghost guns because the firearms aren't easily traceable. Mounties searched a rural property near Chatfield in March 2024 and seized guns and a 3D printer, among other items. CBSA officers returned to the property the next month and seized more items.
Cision Canada
17 hours ago
- Cision Canada
CBSA firearms investigation in the Prairie Region leads to five-year jail sentence Français
WINNIPEG, MB, June 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, Robert Ripcik, a 57-year-old resident of Beausejour, Manitoba, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for firearms-related offences along with a 10-year firearm prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample. Ripcik, who has been in custody since his arrest on March 12, 2024, pleaded guilty in Selkirk Provincial Court to the following charges: False statements, contrary to section 153(a) of the Customs Act Possession of illegally imported goods, contrary to section 155 of the Customs Act Unauthorized possession of firearms, contrary to section 91(1) of the Criminal Code Possession of prohibited devices, contrary to section 91(2) of the Criminal Code Possession of a prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition, contrary to section 95(1) of the Criminal Code The investigation into Ripcik began in April 2023 after CBSA officers at the Winnipeg Land Commercial office examined a shipment that was found to contain items related to the manufacture of firearms without serial numbers. A firearm with no serial number is also known as a "ghost gun" and is untraceable. In March and April 2024, CBSA officers, with the assistance of the RCMP Emergency Response Team, executed search warrants at a rural property near Chatfield, Manitoba. Among the items seized were: Nine long guns with serial numbers (two prohibited firearms, seven non-restricted firearms) Two Polymer 80 pistol receiver blanks for Glock pattern handguns (restricted firearms) and other handgun parts without serial numbers One Ghost Gunner Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine and one 3D printer One lower receiver for an AR pattern rifle without serial number (a prohibited firearm) Fully automatic parts for an AR pattern rifle (prohibited devices) and other AR parts Multiple overcapacity magazines (prohibited devices) and ammunition One fully automatic AR-15 pattern rifle (prohibited firearm) One automatic switch for a Glock handgun (prohibited device) The CBSA Integrated Firearm Enforcement Team (IFET), with assistance from the Winnipeg Police Service, the RCMP and Manitoba Conservation, led the complex investigation that resulted in today's conviction. Quotes "The Canada Border Services Agency is committed to keeping prohibited firearms and firearms parts off our streets and away from our communities. Ghost guns in particular pose a serious risk for many reasons, including how difficult they are to trace when used by criminals. Today's conviction and five-year sentence is a direct result of the hard work of the CBSA Integrated Firearm Enforcement Team and our intelligence and criminal investigators in Winnipeg. I would like to thank our law enforcement partners, the Winnipeg Police Service, the RCMP, and Manitoba Conservation for their contributions in this case and for their continued commitment to protecting our citizens and our communities." Janalee Bell-Boychuk, Regional Director General, Prairie Region, CBSA Quick Facts The CBSA IFET is a team of Intelligence Analysts, Intelligence Officers and Criminal Investigators working collaboratively to identify, interdict, investigate, and support the prosecution of cross border firearm-related offences. Smuggling and other Customs Act and Criminal Code contraventions may lead to prosecution in a court of law. A court conviction can result in fines, jail time, and impact a foreign national's ability to return to Canada in the future. CBSA Investigators have the ability to obtain search warrants and other judicial authorizations to search and seize evidence of criminal offences under the Customs Act and other border-related legislation. Learn more about weapons that are prohibited in Canada. For the latest seizure statistics, visit Canada Border Services Agency seizures.
Canada News.Net
a day ago
- Canada News.Net
CBSA investigation leads to firearm and forgery-related charges for a resident of Markham, Ontario
June 26, 2025 Mississauga, ON The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that an arrest was made for multiple firearm and forgery-related offences following an investigation led by the Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team (OFSET). The OFSET is comprised of CBSA Investigators, Intelligence Analysts, and Intelligence Officers dedicated to investigating firearms smuggling throughout the province. In the Spring of 2025, Border Services Officers at the CBSA's International Mail Processing Centres in Montreal, Quebec and Mississauga, Ontario intercepted and seized a number of parcels imported from the United States, destined to an address in Markham, Ontario. The parcels contained a variety of firearms parts as well as personal identification documents and licenses, at least one of which appeared to be fraudulent. On June 17, 2025, CBSA Investigators arrested Wei Xu (42) of Markham, Ontario and charged him with Customs Act offences, which included smuggling and evading compliance, and the Criminal Code offence of using a forged document. A subsequent search of Xu's vehicle revealed other firearms and prohibited devices, including a SKS rifle, an over capacity cartridge magazine loaded with ammunition, other cartridge magazines, and a box of ammunition. CBSA Investigators later executed a search warrant at Xu's residence in Markham where an airsoft gun, additional prohibited firearms, and ammunition were discovered and seized-including a handgun and two fire control units. In total, Xu was charged with 10 offences contrary to the Customs Act and the Criminal Code: 1 count of evading compliance with the Customs Act, s. 153(c) Customs Act 1 count of smuggling, s. 159(1) Customs Act 2 counts of using a forged document, s. 368(1)(a) & 368(1)(b) Criminal Code 3 counts of possession of non-restricted, prohibited and restricted firearms knowing not a holder of a licence, s. 92(1) of the Criminal Code 1 count of possession of a prohibited device knowing not a holder of a licence, s. 92(2) of the Criminal Code 1 count of occupying a motor vehicle knowing a firearm was in vehicle, s. 94 Criminal Code 1 count of manufacturing a prohibited firearm, s. 99 Criminal Code These charges have not yet been tested in court.
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Canada Standard
CBSA investigation leads to firearm and forgery-related charges for a resident of Markham, Ontario
June 26, 2025 Mississauga, ON The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that an arrest was made for multiple firearm and forgery-related offences following an investigation led by the Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team (OFSET). The OFSET is comprised of CBSA Investigators, Intelligence Analysts, and Intelligence Officers dedicated to investigating firearms smuggling throughout the province. In the Spring of 2025, Border Services Officers at the CBSA's International Mail Processing Centres in Montreal, Quebec and Mississauga, Ontario intercepted and seized a number of parcels imported from the United States, destined to an address in Markham, Ontario. The parcels contained a variety of firearms parts as well as personal identification documents and licenses, at least one of which appeared to be fraudulent. On June 17, 2025, CBSA Investigators arrested Wei Xu (42) of Markham, Ontario and charged him with Customs Act offences, which included smuggling and evading compliance, and the Criminal Code offence of using a forged document. A subsequent search of Xu's vehicle revealed other firearms and prohibited devices, including a SKS rifle, an over capacity cartridge magazine loaded with ammunition, other cartridge magazines, and a box of ammunition. CBSA Investigators later executed a search warrant at Xu's residence in Markham where an airsoft gun, additional prohibited firearms, and ammunition were discovered and seized-including a handgun and two fire control units. In total, Xu was charged with 10 offences contrary to the Customs Act and the Criminal Code: 1 count of evading compliance with the Customs Act, s. 153(c) Customs Act 1 count of smuggling, s. 159(1) Customs Act 2 counts of using a forged document, s. 368(1)(a) & 368(1)(b) Criminal Code 3 counts of possession of non-restricted, prohibited and restricted firearms knowing not a holder of a licence, s. 92(1) of the Criminal Code 1 count of possession of a prohibited device knowing not a holder of a licence, s. 92(2) of the Criminal Code 1 count of occupying a motor vehicle knowing a firearm was in vehicle, s. 94 Criminal Code 1 count of manufacturing a prohibited firearm, s. 99 Criminal Code These charges have not yet been tested in court.
