OTTAWA: The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that Nicholas Donald Surette, 30, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was sentenced in Dartmouth Provincial Court to 30 months in jail for charges under the Customs Act, the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drug and Substance Act.
CBSA investigators received information from border services officers at the Vancouver International Mail Centre regarding a Halifax resident who was purchasing prohibited weapons over the Internet. The investigation revealed that Surette had imported stun guns and brass knuckles by mail with the intention to sell the prohibited weapons in Canada. CBSA Criminal Investigations executed a search warrant on the residence of Surette. Investigators seized an additional two stun guns, one set of brass knuckles, and 1.8 kg of marijuana. Surette was arrested and charged by the CBSA.
Stun guns, brass knuckles, pepper spray, mace, and switchblades are classified as prohibited weapons in Canada. The Customs Tariff prohibits the importation of these weapons into Canada.
Prohibited weapons are high-risk commodities and their interdiction is a CBSA enforcement priority. When border services officers find undeclared and/or prohibited weapons, they seize them under the authority of the Customs Act.
“Stun guns and brass knuckles are dangerous prohibited weapons. As a result of the hard work by CBSA investigators, and by working with our law enforcement partners, we have prevented these dangerous weapons from reaching our communities. We will continue our work to ensure that we stop these kinds of illegal smuggling activities in Atlantic Canada.”
