At the Sargent Business Community, we closely follow public safety developments across Winnipeg and the Capital Region because we know that safety in surrounding areas directly impacts our local commercial strip. The recent joint operation by the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team and the Canada Border Services Agency in West St. Paul is a major victory for public safety that resonates right here in our neighborhood. Officers executed search warrants on Pipeline Road and Griffin Way, seizing 13 firearms, including sawed-off weapons, over-capacity prohibited magazines, and around 20,000 rounds of ammunition.

Taking that volume of illegal firepower out of circulation helps protect every neighborhood across the city. Illegal weapons do not respect municipal borders. Firearms brought into neighboring municipalities or modified illegally often find their way onto city transit routes, into local commercial corridors, and onto our neighborhood streets. Interrupting these supply chains before weapons enter our business districts is critical to ensuring our merchants, employees, and customers feel secure along Sargent Avenue.

This successful operation shows the value of strong inter-agency coordination. When border intelligence, provincial specialized units, and local police share information and work together, they can proactively dismantle networks that fuel violent street crime. Supporting these joint enforcement efforts gives law enforcement the tools they need to prevent dangerous weapons from ever reaching our business doors.

At SBC, we believe that building a vibrant, thriving Sargent Avenue requires both active community-level engagement and decisive law enforcement action against serious crime. Removing illegal weapons from Manitoba streets makes our entire community safer, and we will continue advocating for collaborative safety strategies that protect our local businesses, families, and visitors.

The following is the original post is from the Selkirk & Area RCMP and Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Manitoba Facebook pages:

On Sept. 11, the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team (MILET) executed search warrants after an investigation revealed illegal weapons associated with two residences in the RM of West St. Paul.
MILET, which investigates organized and serious crime in the province, obtained the warrants at homes on Pipeline Road and Griffin Way in response to information provided by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Once inside the homes, officers found and seized:

• 13 firearms – including two sawed-off weapons;
• Approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition; and
• Several high-capacity magazines that had been altered to hold more ammunition, which makes them prohibited devices.
  Two male suspects were arrested without incident.
  Ravinder Chahal, 48, of the RM of West St. Paul is charged with:
• Unsafe storage of firearms x2;
• Unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon;
• Possession of restricted firearm or prohibited weapon with ammo without licence x2;
• Possession of weapon obtained by crime x2;
• Possession of firearm with tampered serial number x2; and
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm x2.
  Kulwinder Chahal, 38, of the RM of West St. Paul is charged with:
• Unsafe storage of firearms x2;
• Possession of a prohibited weapon when knowing possession is unauthorized;
• Possession of a restricted firearm or prohibited weapon with ammo without licence x2;
• Possession of weapon obtained by crime x2;
• Possession of firearm with tampered serial number x2;
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm; and
• Possession of firearm when knowing possession is unauthorized x2.
  Both were remanded into custody.
  “Thanks to the positive working relationship shared between law enforcement and the CBSA, our officers were able to remove illegal firearms and firearms that were illegally possessed from the community,” said Supt. Jeff Asmundson, officer in charge of MILET. “I want to thank our colleagues at the CBSA, and our dedicated MILET officers, for their shared commitment to making our province a safer place for all.”
  “The valuable partnership and strong collaboration between the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP is keeping illegal and deadly weapons out of our communities,” said Johny Prasad, Prairie Region Intelligence and Enforcement Operations Division, CBSA. “Together, CBSA and RCMP are fighting organized crime, protecting our citizens and keeping our communities safe.”