Three men facing charges in gun trafficking ring in Ottawa
Three men are facing charges for allegedly importing illegal handguns from the United States and selling them on the streets of Ottawa.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with help from Ottawa Police, launched an investigation in September 2021 into a gun trafficking network that was allegedly distributing illegal handguns in the Ottawa area.
"The firearms included handguns and firearms with no serial numbers. These types of firearms are in high demand on the streets," the RCMP said in a statement.
Two Ottawa men and a Toronto resident are facing more than 30 charges. All three men—James Kongshaw, 39, and David Lafontaine, 44, both of Ottawa, and Justin McPolin, 46, of Toronto—are jointly charged with conspiring to traffic firearms and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
Kongshaw is facing an additional 15 gun charges. The other two men are facing five additional charges each.
"The proliferation of illegal handguns into the hands of organized criminals poses a threat to public safety," RCMP Insp. Islam Issa said in a statement.
"This joint investigation is an excellent example of how law enforcement collaboration and information sharing can disrupt the flow of illegal handguns onto our streets, leading to safer communities."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.