Toronto police say they’ve busted a local smuggling ring that was bringing handguns from the U.S. into the GTA for sale to local criminals and street gangs.

“They (handguns) only have one purpose … to kill and maim,” Deputy Chief James Ramer said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“There’s more and more demand for them,” Ramer said.

Twenty-five of the handguns were smuggled in the gas tank of a rental Nissan Rogue that was driven by a Toronto woman across the Peace Bridge into Fort Erie on the evening of Oct. 31, police said.

Each of them was individually sealed in plastic, Acting Insp. Don Belanger said.

“The gas tank had to be essentially taken apart and made into two pieces,” Belanger said.





The handguns were legally purchased in Florida and Georgia for between $300 and $500 and then smuggled across the border, where they could be sold on the streets of Toronto for between $2,000 and $5,000, Belanger said.

Police executed 13 search warrants on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in Toronto, Peel Region and Durham Region.

Investigators seized a total of 30 firearms, approximately 13 kilograms of marijuana, 136 rounds of ammunition, approximately 280 grams of cocaine and approximately $45,000 in cash.

The operation, called Project Belair, was in partnership with the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Canada Border Services Agency.

“These investigations are both labour intensive and time intensive and not without substantial risk,” Ramer said.

Rima Mansour, 50, of Toronto, faces 25 charges of importing illegal firearms and charges of possession of a firearm knowing possession is unauthorized and possession of prohibited devices with over capacity magazines.

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Alan Cunningham, 52, of Brampton, was charged with four counts each of trafficking firearms and trafficking ammunition, three counts of possession of proceeds of crime, and one of conspiracy to traffic firearms.

Colin Levy, 52, of Brampton, was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited loaded firearm while unauthorized, careless storage firearm, possession of a firearm knowing possession is unauthorized, possession of a firearm obtained by crime, possession of a firearm knowing the serial number has been removed and possession of proceeds of crime.

William Datta, 41, of Ajax, was arrested and charged with two counts of trafficking in firearms; two counts of possession of a firearm for the purpose of trafficking; two counts of possession of proceeds of crime and one of conspiracy to traffic firearms.