Police discover ‘clandestine’ ghost gun manufacturing lab in B.C.

Officers seized a loaded 3D-printed semi-automatic rifle, six 3D-printed handguns, four suppressors and various other homemade gun parts and weapons-making tools. (Handout)

British Columbia’s anti-gang police unit says it has found and dismantled a clandestine laboratory that was used to manufacture untraceable 3D-printed ghost guns in the province’s Lower Mainland.

One man was arrested on suspicion of various weapons-related offences, including the distribution of computer data related to firearms manufacturing, according to a statement from police on Thursday.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. says it opened an investigation into the suspect in March after officers suspected he was 3D-printing guns and uploading the manufacturing schematics online.

The suspect, who was not named by police, was arrested on April 2 while a search warrant was executed on his residence in Surrey with assistance from the heavily armed emergency response team.

Officers searching the property reportedly seized a clandestine firearms manufacturing lab, a loaded 3D-printed semi-automatic rifle, six 3D-printed handguns, four suppressors and various other homemade gun parts and weapons-making tools.

Police also seized various electronic devices and a homemade test firing station, the statement said.

The suspect has not been charged but the CFSEU-BC says charges will be recommended once the investigation has concluded.

The distribution of data related to firearms manufacturing was formally outlawed in 2023, when the Criminal Code was amended to address the production of ghost guns.

The homemade weapons often lack serial numbers or other markings that would otherwise allow them to be regulated, identified or tracked in a conventional manner.

“This investigation highlights the critical work being done by CFSEU-BC to identify and disrupt emerging threats to public safety,” Sgt. Sarbjit K. Sangha said in the statement.

“The presence of 3D-printed firearms is particularly concerning. These weapons are unregulated, untraceable, and increasingly accessible, creating new risks for our communities.”