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. (CFSEU-BC)

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.”