

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Police say that nine guns seized during the execution of a number of search warrants on Tuesday appear to be “hybrid” firearms that are made up of a number of different parts and components.

The search warrants were executed on three Toronto addresses and two vehicles as part of a firearm trafficking investigation that began in the fall.

The weapons that were seized included four semi-automatic Glock-style handguns, one antique revolver, two AR carbine rifles, a Desert Eagle semi-automatic handgun and a Storm Beretta semi-automatic handgun.

Police also seized nine high-capacity magazines and a quantity of ammunition.

According to Insp. Peter Moreira, the weapons appear to have been assembled using a number of individual parts.

Many of those parts, Moreira said, can be bought without a firearms licence.

“I am not suggesting they are homemade but they are hybrid guns made up of a number of parts,” he said. “Part of the investigation is determining who manufactured them and how.”

Moreira would not speculate on whether the firearm parts could have been smuggled across the border separately and then assembled in Canada but he said that police officials have been “working very hard” with federal partners to try to address the issue of hybrid guns.

As for the weapons seized Tuesday, Moreira said that police are working to determine whether any of the, have been used in the commission of a crime.

He said that investigators are also working to determine whether there are any other outstanding illegal weapons belonging to the suspects arrested on Tuesday.

“Arrests don’t conclude our investigation and we will continue to be diligent in the pursuit of illegal weapons in our city,” he said.

Junior Richardson, 38, of Toronto was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 55 offences, including nine counts of possession of weapons for the purpose of trafficking.

Kathryn Concepcion, 36, of Toronto, was also arrested and charged with 52 offences, including nine counts of possession of weapons for the purpose of trafficking.

Police say that Richardson was also wanted by Peel Regional Police on a September, 2014 arrest warrant for assault with a weapon, kidnapping with intent to confine, robbery and impersonation of a police officer.