THUNDER BAY — Several guns were seized after officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service executed a search warrant.
At a media conference on Thursday, police displayed five weapons collected while searching a home on Gertrude Avenue.
Police entered the home on Aug. 29 and arrested a 20-year-old man from Hamilton.
Of the five weapons that investigators located during the arrest, there were two long guns, two handguns and a gun that can be disguised as a regular item like a cell phone or a wallet.
Police also collected what is believed to be fentanyl.
This arrest was part of an ongoing investigation that resulted in the earlier arrest of a Brampton suspect in August.
The investigation started in April of this year when police made multiple arrests and seized several guns and an assortment of illicit drugs.
Det. Insp. Jeremy Pearson described what they know about the weapons that were seized on July 29 and on Sept. 4. He also described his concerns about the weapon that can be disguised as other items.
"Both originated in the United States, in Ohio and in Georgia. . . [It's] the second time in recent memory that we've seized a gun that is disguised as a cell phone or an innocuous object that unfolds and is available to be deployed at that time."
Pearson said even though they are small, these are still dangerous weapons.
"We think about this from the perspective of, say, an officer conducting a common traffic stop or a typical response to any disturbance or any call for service. They have to be aware, not only of the classic firearms that one is always aware of but also of innocuous appearing objects that may in-fact be firearms.
"And the fact that we're seeing those in the city is a source of concern."
Pearson said seeing the level of results from this investigation is comparable to large-scale projects that the police conduct, but it also "speaks to the significance of the problem in the community.
"So in terms of an impact on the community, I think any time you're taking this amount of drugs off the street, anytime you're taking this many weapons that are unlawfully possessed out of circulation, you're having a significant impact.
"In terms of the impact in the overall scope? Well, that remains to be seen."
Pearson also said a local contact for the other suspects was arrested on Sept. 4.
A 28-year-old Thunder Bay woman was arrested at a home on Victoria Avenue.
During that arrest, police located what is believed to be crack and cocaine, along with other drug trafficking paraphernalia.
The Hamilton man is facing 32 charges, including over a dozen firearms-related charges.
All suspects arrested in connection to this investigation have been remanded into custody and have future court appearances scheduled.
