A B.C. man has been charged after officers seized a massive cache of military grade weapons in a September search of a Prince George house, police said Wednesday.

Karl Haus was charged with 17 offences including importing and possessing prohibited weapons — some that had their serial numbers removed or altered — according to a joint press release issued by the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP.

Among the haul were a fully automatic M16 and an AK-47, 31,000 rounds of ammunition, loaded hand guns, nine shotguns and rifles, five 100-round capacity drum magazines, 50 assault rifle magazines and four bulletproof vests.

"The fear for police is that these weapons could eventually be used to commit criminal acts, where they could reasonably be expected to cause significant harm to people," read a statement by Chief Supt. Rod Booth with the North District RCMP.

The weapons came to the attention of authorities after officers at a Toronto mail processing centre found a shipment from Europe that was packed with prohibited gun parts. The CBSA, RCMP and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit embarked on a joint investigation that led to Prince George.

Haus has been charged with:

Two counts of importing a prohibited firearm or component;

Four counts of possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon which is either loaded or has readily accessible ammunition;

Eight counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, ammunition or device.

Five counts of careless use of a firearm

Two counts of possessing a firearm with an altered serial number.

The charges have not yet been tested in court.

mattrobinson@postmedia.com