A man from Langley, B.C., has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after police found a loaded prohibited handgun and other weapons during a traffic stop in Surrey. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia says the weapons were discovered in May 2024 after one of its officers pulled over a vehicle with several modifications that violated the Motor Vehicle Act. “During the interaction, the driver was arrested for an unrelated offence. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of several weapons,” reads a CFSEU-BC statement issued Monday. The weapons seized include a loaded prohibited handgun with an altered serial number, a loaded sawed-off shotgun, additional imitation firearms, ammunition, body armour, a machete and bear spray, according to the release. The 39-year-old driver, Stephen George Johnson, was charged with multiple firearms-related offences in September 2024 and sentenced to 30 months in prison last week. The court also banned him from owning guns for 10 years and ordered him to give a DNA sample. Everything police seized during the investigation will be forfeited. “This arrest highlights our continued commitment to keeping illegal firearms off our streets,” Sgt. Sarbjit K. Sangha of CFSEU-BC said in Monday’s statement. “The possession of a loaded prohibited firearm poses a significant risk to public safety. Our officers remain focused on proactive enforcement to target individuals who present the highest risk to community safety.”
