Alberta border agents make 3 handgun seizures last month

Federal border officials in southern Alberta seized three undeclared handguns and eight stashes of illegal drugs last month.

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A Utah man was arrested on Feb. 2 after Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at the Coutts, Alta. crossing found a .357-calibre pistol hidden in a camera bag.

His partner was also arrested when officers found her in possession of a small quantity of methamphetamine.

Charges are pending in those cases.

On Feb. 24 officers at Coutts seized two handguns a 9-mm and a .44-calibre along with an overcapacity magazine from an Alaska man.

He was charged with nine offences under the Criminal Code and the Customs Act.

A woman from San Diego pleaded guilty last month to trying to smuggle two handguns into Canada last July. She was fined $8,000.

Border officials also made eight drug seizures in February, which were mostly personal quantities of marijuana, the CBSA says.

In an incident on Feb. 18, a drug detecting dog alerted officers at the Coutts crossing to 4.6 grams of marijuana hidden in a cracker box.