Police unveiled Wednesday a "staggering collection" of firearms seized from a Prince George home following an investigation that began when border guards came across two suspicious packages destined for this city.
Karl Haus, 53, now faces 17 charges in relation to the haul from a Prospect Point home in the Hart Highlands where police uncovered nine rifles - a fully-automatic M-16 and a fully-automatic AK 47 among them - as well as three handguns, two of which were loaded, and two shotguns.
They also found five 100-round capacity drum magazines, 50 assault rifle magazines, four bullet proof vests and two "morning stars" - spiked metal balls attached with chains to wooden handles.
And they found 31,000 rounds of large and small calibre ammunition. It would take slightly more than eight-and-a-half hours to fire off all the rounds at a shot per second.
The investigation began Sept. 9 when Canada Border Services Agency officers intercepted the two packages at the Toronto International Mail Centre. The packages originated in Germany and were destined for Prince George and while the accompanying information cards said "other machinery," officers found a lower receiver, bolt carrier, trigger assembly and selector switch for a Colt M-16 A1.
"The Colt M-16 is an automatic military assault rifle," said Harald Wuigk, CBSA assistant director of investigations, during a press conference Wednesday at the North District RCMP detachment.
"In the wrong hands, it's a very dangerous weapon."
The information was passed onto the RCMP federal serious and organized crime unit and after the parts were determined to be prohibited, investigators secured a search warrant for the home and, on Sept. 25, they encountered more than they expected.
The weapons were found in various spots throughout the property and as a result, five counts of unsafe storage are among the charges Haus faces. He also faces four counts each of possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a prohibited weapon either loaded or with readily accessible ammunition, and two counts each of importing a prohibited firearm and possessing a firearm with an altered serial number.None of the charges have yet been proven in court.
Haus, who is not in custody, is scheduled to make a first appearance in Prince George provincial court on Jan. 15.
