By Tyler Sutherland
CBSA officers seized firearms and ammunition from two North Carolina men in recent weeks at the Emerson border crossing. (CBSA HANDOUT)
Two men from North Carolina have been sentenced in a Winnipeg court for attempting to smuggle firearms across the Canadian border in two separate incidents.
The Canada Border Services Agency says Ryan Byler, 22, pleaded guilty on October 8 for concealing a handgun in his vehicle at the Emerson, Manitoba border crossing on September 25. Officers found an undeclared prohibited 9mm handgun and 10 over-capacity magazines.
Byler was sentenced to 21 days in jail and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine.
On October 6, John Wayne Mast, 34, attempted to smuggle a prohibited loaded .45 calibre handgun at the Emerson crossing. CBSA officers also found eight over-capacity magazines.
Mast was sentenced to 12 days in jail on October 6 and ordered to pay a $9,000 fine.
Officers in southern Manitoba have seized 25 undeclared firearms this year, including 11 prohibited firearms.
