CBSA firearms investigation in Kingston and Petawawa leads to multiple criminal charges

The Voice of Canada:

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is committed to keeping firearms out of our communities.

The CBSA’s Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team (OFSET) today announced that it has laid multiple firearms charges following an investigation and seizure of various prohibited weapons including handguns, assault rifles, shot guns and ammunition.

In August 2023, Major Kendrick Barling of the Royal Canadian Air Force, returned to Canada after being posted in the United States for five years. Major Barling’s household goods were shipped through Canadian Forces Base Trenton where numerous undeclared firearms were discovered hidden throughout the shipment. 

On October 19, 2023, CBSA OFSET investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in Kingston, Ontario and another on October 23, 2023, at a residence in Petawawa, Ontario. During the searches, officers located and seized several prohibited firearms and items:

• 7 handguns
• 10 rifles (including assault rifles)
• 2 shot guns
• Approximately 45,000 rounds of ammunition of varying calibres
• Hundreds of magazines that included AR-15 over-capacity magazines

Multiple firearms have duplicate serial numbers.

As a result, Major Kendrick Barling, has been charged by the CBSA with the following offences:

• 5x Customs Act s. 159(1) – Smuggle Goods into Canada
• 2x Customs Act s. 153(a) – Making False Statements
• 2x Export and Import Permits Act s. 14/19 – Import Goods without a Permit
• 9x Criminal Code s. 103(1) – Importing a Firearm Knowing it is Unauthorized
• 9x Criminal Code s. 104(1) – Unauthorized Importing of a Firearm
• 2x Criminal Code s. 86(2) – Contravention of Transportation Regulations

The accused is next scheduled to appear in court on December 22, 2023.

Quotes

“The CBSA Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team works hard to keep our communities safe. Thanks to their dedication and due diligence, they have successfully taken many dangerous weapons off of our streets. This successful investigation is another example of collaboration between law enforcement partners, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the United States of America, as we work together to keep our communities safe.”— Eric Lapierre, Regional Director General, CBSA Northern Ontario Region

Quick facts

• The OFSET is a group of criminal investigators, intelligence analysts and intelligence officers who are dedicated solely to investigate firearms smuggling throughout the Province of Ontario.
• Smuggling and other Customs Act contraventions may lead to prosecution in a court of law.
• Learn more about weapons that are prohibited in Canada.
• For the latest seizure statistics, visit Canada Border Services Agency seizures.
• If you have information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.