Nearly 35 firearms seized in stolen property investigation north of Edmonton

Nearly 35 guns were seized from a rural property near Smoky Lake after a police investigation. (Courtesy: Smoky Lake RCMP)

Smoky Lake RCMP arrested a man after seizing stolen items, including nearly 35 firearms, from a rural property.

Police began investigating the thefts last Wednesday after seeing “a spike” in thefts in the County of Smoky Lake.

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“This investigation started thanks to the work of our RCMP analysts, who, using crime trend data, were able to find correlations in the crimes and the types of goods stolen,” Sgt. Anita Doktor told media on Tuesday.

“Members of the RCMP detachment were able to deploy several techniques, including the use of a bait trap, which involves leaving a trackable item in an area where goods are normally stolen in order to trace it back to the one who stole it.”

Police searched a farmyard near Range Road 594 and Highway 28 and arrested a 25-year-old Smoky Lake resident.

RCMP seized:

• a stolen 2013 Skidoo;
• a stolen trailer;
• a stolen 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck; and
• nearly 35 firearms.

The man was charged with:

• possession of stolen property;
• careless storage of a firearm;
• prohibited weapons/devices; and
• possession of a firearm while unauthorized.

The 25-year-old will appear at the Alberta Court of Justice in Boyle on Wednesday.