Officers seize small arsenal of guns at southern Alberta border crossing

COUTTS, Alta. — The Canada Border Services Agency says it recently seized 11 undeclared guns in less than a day from three American vehicles entering the country at the Coutts crossing in Alberta.

The seizures last Friday and Saturday came just days after the federal agency launched a campaign to remind American travellers about the need to declare all firearms at the Canadian border.

The agency says nine of the guns, including an AR-15 assault rifle, were taken from a truck during a routine examination.

Charges are pending in each of the cases and the three travellers are scheduled to appear in Lethbridge provincial court on Oct. 19.

Luke Reimer, an agency spokesman, says three seizures within one day is significant.

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He says last year, officers in Western Canada seized 297 undeclared firearms — about half of which belonged to people bound for or leaving Alaska.

Officers at the Coutts crossing seized 39 guns in 2015 — the most of any border point in Western Canada.

As of Aug. 28 this year, staff at Coutts had already seized 45 undeclared firearms, including 28 handguns.

The CBSA said in a release that travellers can avoid charges by simply declaring all guns in their possession at the first opportunity when entering Canada. (The Canadian Press, CJOC)

The Canadian Press