Cardston gun shop owners accused of weapons trafficking Jun 8, 2017 4:34 PM

LETHBRIDGE – The entire firearms inventory of a business in Cardston has been seized following a five-month investigation into alleged weapons trafficking.

Members of the ALERT Lethbridge organized crime and gang team, working with the RCMP National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST), executed a search warrant at K&D Implements May 29. The search was aided by Cardston RCMP and Lethbridge Police.

Two of the store’s owners, 58-year-old Dean Sommerfeldt and 31-year-old Todd Sommerfeldt, were arrested and are jointly charged wtih trafficking a firearm, possession of weapons for the purpose of trafficking, careless storage of a restricted weapon and transfer without authority. It’s alleged the store sold guns and ammunition to people without confirming that they held valid Possession Acquisition Licenses.

The seized inventory includes more than one million rounds of ammunition, 49 handguns, 972 long guns, 270 kg of gunpowder, 446 kg of an explosive called Tannerite and 12,000 firearm primers.