B.C. man charged for allegedly 3D-printing guns
A 33-year-old man from Aldergrove, B.C., is facing drug and firearms charges, and the province's anti-gang police unit alleges he was involved in the 3D printing of guns.
The charges against Tyson Saverio Santolla were approved on Tuesday and include one count of firearms manufacturing, one count of possession of a restricted firearm without a licence and five counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, according to police.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. said in a news release Thursday that the charges stem from an investigation that began in November 2020.
At that time, the CFSEU-BC's Illegal Firearms Enforcement Team received information about "the alleged manufacturing of privately made firearms" and began looking into it.
In May 2021, the team executed search warrants at four addresses in Abbotsford and Aldergrove, a neighbourhood of Langley. They also arrested two men and a woman in connection with the investigation, according to the CFSEU-BC.
Police seized two 3D printers, 3D printed pistol frames, "Glock firearm parts," 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and 300 grams of fentanyl during their searches, the CFSEU-BC said.
Almost two years later, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved the charges against Santolla, who has been "arrested and released on court-imposed conditions pending the judicial process," police said.
“Privately made firearms represent a growing trend in British Columbia and internationally by which criminals attempt to obtain firearms and to profit from firearms sales," said CFSEU-BC operations officer Insp. Joel Hussey, in the release.
"CFSEU-BC is working closely with its partners across the province to investigate and disrupt the people and groups who may seek to illegally make and sell firearms.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.