B.C. man charged with drug trafficking and weapons offences after CBSA investigation

A Canada Boarder Services Agency (CBSA) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Spencer Colby / The Canadian Press)

A resident of B.C.'s Interior has been charged with weapon and drug trafficking offences after an investigation launched by border agents at Vancouver International Airport earlier this year.

The charges were laid against Sicamous resident Jesse Pat Lyle on Nov. 28, the Canada Border Services Agency said in a news release Friday.

Lyle faces the following nine charges, which stem from an investigation that began when officers intercepted a package addressed to him at YVR's commercial operations centre on April 26.

• One count of possession of a restricted firearm with readily available ammunition
• One count of possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number
• One count of possession of a firearm in contravention of a prohibition order
• Two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon
• Four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking

The package CBSA officers seized contained "three prohibited devices," the agency said, though it did not specify what those devices were.

Lyle was already subject to a lifetime firearms prohibition, according to the CBSA.

With help from the RCMP, investigators executed search warrants on Lyle's vehicle and boat in early June, seizing a firearm with "an obliterated serial number," a prohibited spring-loaded baton, a prohibited stun gun, two firearm magazines and "trafficking quantities of illegal drugs."

Lyle is scheduled to appear in court in Salmon Arm on Jan. 7, the CBSA said. Online court records indicate that the 42-year-old is not in custody.

“The Canada Border Services Agency works hard to intercept undeclared firearms and illegal drugs and investigates those who break Canada’s laws," said Nina Patel, regional director general for the CBSA's Pacific region, in the release.

"The efforts of our officers and investigators, with support from the RCMP, have removed dangerous firearms and drugs from this community.”