A man in his 20s is facing several charges following what North Vancouver Mounties describe as a "mail-order handgun purchase."

Officers say their investigation began late last month when members of the Armstrong, B.C. detachment contacted them about a fraudulent transaction.

Police allege the buyer bought a Glock 34 Gen 4 online, and asked to have it shipped to North Van.

They say the gun was purchased using a fake name using documents belonging to someone else.

"We knew we had a limited amount of time before it would be lost to the criminal element. So we jumped on it. We worked hard, we worked smart and we worked fast," Sgt. Peter DeVries said in a statement.

They tracked a suspect who is known to police to an address in Vancouver, and arrested him in less than 24 hours, the RCMP said.

Police then obtained search warrants, and say they located the gun, ammunition, holsters and an airsoft pistol.

As a result of the investigation, charges have been approved against a 29-year-old man.

Trevor Glenn Beaton has been charged with: