Kamloops gun club to gain rare rifle after drug traffickers' sentencing

The Kamloops Target Sports Association will gain a rare Walther WA 2000 rifle. Image Credit: "Walther WA 2000" by Atirador - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walther_WA_2000.JPG#/media/File:Walther_WA_2000.JPG

March 30, 2015 - 6:07 PM

KAMLOOPS – The city’s gun club is the unlikely beneficiary of a heavy sentence levied against a drug trafficker sentenced today in Kamloops Supreme Court—they will take custody of a rare, valuable collective rifle police confiscated.

Terrence Arthur Dean, 64, was sentenced to five years in prison today, March 30, after he earlier pleaded guilty to trafficking heroin, cocaine, meth and marijuana along with holding several illegal weapons May 1, 2013.

Police arrested Dean after pulling him over for speeding when he travelled from Hope to Kamloops April 2013. Kamloops RCMP tracked his Dodge Caravan after receiving a tip from a confidential informant. When officers searched his vehicle, they recovered close to $6,000 in cash along with a kilogram of meth. Police later searched Dean’s Aberdeen home and recovered roughly $150,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana along with $38,095 in cash and several restricted weapons. including a flare gun modified to fire ammunition. Police seized two Tasers, four non-restricted firearms and respective ammunition.

Included in their seizure was a rare Walther WA 2000 sniper rifle, of which only 176 exist in the world. The german-built gun is worth approximately $40,000.

As part of the sentence, Justice Dev Dley allowed a request by both Crown and defence lawyers to turn the gun over to the Kamloops Target Sports Association rather than have it destroyed.



“It’s anticipated this particular item will actually draw a great number of enthusiasts. (Dean) wanted only that concession to be made. He was prepared to give up on all other firearms,” defence lawyer Sheldon Tate said.



Court heard Dean had no criminal history prior to his involvement in the drug trade. Tate said his client was forcibly retired from the construction industry because of an injury he sustained. To make ends meet, Dean began trafficking.



“I’m done with this whole thing. I’ve been threatened. My family’s been threatened,” Dean said after hearing Dley’s sentence.



Before passing sentence, Dley noted Dean’s early guilty pleas, his cooperation with police investigation and compliance with bail.



Dean will serve two years for his drug charges along with three consecutive years for his weapon charges.

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