An eight-month investigation into cocaine trafficking culminated last month in the seizure of dozens of U.S.-made handguns loaded onto a tractor-trailer in northern Ontario. Two people from southern Ontario have been charged after police stopped the truck in Temiskaming Shores on Sept. 11 and found 72 handguns inside. The truck left Toronto before it was stopped in northern Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Thursday. “The tractor-trailer was subsequently stopped at a Ministry of Transportation inspection station near Temiskaming Shores,” the OPP said. “A search warrant was executed on the tractor-trailer.” The case began as an investigation into cocaine trafficking in February when police identified the tractor-trailer heading north as part of the case. “The search warrant led to the seizure of 72 illegal handguns and 66 prohibited devices,” police said. Guns originated in the U.S. “Preliminary tracing results from the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario-managed Firearms Analysis and Tracing Enforcement Program indicate all handguns originated in the United States.” Two people from Brampton -- Balraj Singh, 31, and Kawalbir Singh, 21, have been charged with 72 counts of weapons trafficking. Balraj Singh has also been charged with cocaine trafficking. Both have been remanded into custody and will appear in a Toronto courtroom at a later date. “This seizure of 72 illegal handguns and dozens of prohibited devices is a powerful example of what can be achieved through coordinated, intelligence-led investigations,” OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart said in the news release. “These firearms originated in the United States, highlighting the importance of partnerships with law enforcement agencies across borders. Thanks to the dedication and expertise of our officers and members of our joint force operations, we’ve disrupted a significant criminal operation and taken dangerous weapons out of circulation.” The operation was led by the Border Drug Interdiction Task Force, a joint-forces operation led by the OPP and consisting of members from provincial, interprovincial, national and international law enforcement agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security. Their mandate is to investigate criminal activity taking place across the Canada-U.S. border.
