Alberta CBSA cracks down on guns, immigration offences in March

380-calibre handgun and 24 prohibited magazines seized at Coutts on February 29

Alberta Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is pleased to share a sample of March highlights from its border crossings in southern Alberta:

On February 29, CBSA officers seized a prohibited .380-calibre pistol and 24 prohibited magazines from a traveller at the Coutts border crossing. Michael Bissonette, 47, of Georgia faces a total of 13 charges – eight under the Customs Act and five under the Criminal Code – and is scheduled to appear in Lethbridge Provincial Court on April 20.

.25-calibre handgun seized from a backpack at Coutts on March 19

On March 19 at Coutts, CBSA officers seized an undeclared .25-calibre handgun and magazine from a Florida man bound for Alaska. They located the firearm in a backpack in the backseat of his pickup truck and found the magazine concealed under a floor mat. Officers arrested the traveller and then allowed him to continue into Canada without the gun after he paid a $1,000 fine for failing to declare.

On March 16, Brandon Pryor, 43, of Utah pleaded guilty to a CBSA Customs Act charge of failing to answer truthfully following the seizure of a prohibited .32-calibre handgun at Coutts on February 2. He was fined $1,500 and there was a forfeiture order for the seized goods.

Throughout March, CBSA officers were also alert in keeping convicted criminals and other inadmissible people out of Canada:

On March 1 at the remote Wild Horse border crossing, officers refused entry to a United States (U.S.) man seeking to work in Canada. He was not in possession of a work permit and had been convicted on three counts of possession of child pornography. He attempted to enter at the remote Aden border crossing later that same day and was turned away again.

At Carway on March 19, officers issued an exclusion order against a foreign national seeking a work permit as he had already been working in Canada without authorization. He is barred from returning for one year. On March 27, officers denied entry to a U.S. woman convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Quick Facts

• CBSA officers in southern Alberta process an average of 95,421 travellers in 38,679 cars, and 10,755 commercial trucks every month (based on 2015 statistics).
• In March, CBSA officers at Coutts issued 88 work permits, landed 725 immigrants, and refused entry to 48 foreign nationals for various reasons, including criminality.
• In March, CBSA officers at Carway issued 33 work permits, landed 384 immigrants, and refused entry to seven foreign nationals for various reasons, including criminality.