Calgary police laid 36 charges against one man and seized eight unlawfully possessed firearms following a two-month-long investigation by the organized crime enforcement team. .“In this case, tireless and steadfast investigative work led to the arrest of an individual and the removal of eight unlawful firearms from our streets,” said Calgary police Acting Staff Sgt. Mike Sushelnitsky in a Tuesday press release. .“Organized crime, drug trafficking, and the associated violence has no place in our community, and we will continue to target those who are involved.”.The release said Calgary police began an investigation targeting a person believed to be connected to organized crime and drug trafficking in the city in December. It said officers observed activity consistent with drug trafficking and identified two residences which were connected throughout the investigation. .Calgary police conducted a traffic stop on the suspect and took him into custody without incident January 31. Search warrants were executed on the suspect’s vehicle and at residences located in the 800 block of 4 Avenue SW and the 900 block of Rundleside Dr. NE. .Officers seized a stolen and loaded Ruger .22 handgun with a silencer, a Glock 31 handgun which had been modified to be fully automatic, a loaded Springfield 9mm handgun, a loaded Smith and Wesson Bodyguard 380 handgun, a Sig Sauer P938 9mm handgun, a Glock 42 380 auto handgun, a loaded Taurus .38 special handgun, a Glock 43x 9mm handgun, several hundred rounds of various ammunition, a Taser, a collapsible baton, more than 1.8 kilograms of drugs, such as cocaine, fentanyl, oxycontin, xanax and cannabis, and drug production and packaging materials. .Calgary resident Thien Luong, 24, was charged with 36 offences, including possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession for use in production of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm obtained by crime, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a prohibited device, and possession of the proceeds of crime. Luong is in custody and will appear in court on February 27. .The release went on to say all the firearms seized in this investigation were unlawfully possessed by Luong. It added seven of the firearms are believed to have been smuggled into Canada, and the remaining firearm was determined to be stolen. .The investigation remains ongoing to determine the originating source of the seized firearms. Addressing gun violence continues to be a priority for Calgary police. .Anyone with information is asked to contact Calgary police at (403) 266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477. .This ordeal comes after Calgary police said in August it laid 66 charges against two men believed to be running a 3D-printed firearms production and trafficking operation in Calgary. .READ MORE: Two Calgary men charged in 3D-printed firearm investigation."Three-dimensional printed firearms are a growing trend that we're working to address through targeted enforcement," said Calgary police Acting Staff Sgt. Ben Lawson. ."Three-dimensional printed guns function just like any other firearm and have the potential to cause real danger to our community.”
