“ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC”: Police bust operation to manufacture 3D handguns that could have 30-40 guns on street

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Winnipeg Police have busted an operation to manufacture 3D handguns allegedly masterminded from a cell at Stony Mountain Institution federal prison, it was announced Tuesday. The operation may have resulted as many as 40 3D-printed handguns hitting the streets.

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“The situation is absolutely horrific,” said Insp. Elton Hall of the Organized Crime Division at a press briefing on Tuesday. “It’s alarming. These people are the scourge of the city right now in my opinion. They’re actually assembling handguns and handguns are used for two things as I’ve said before: legal handguns are used for target practice and handguns that aren’t used for target practice are used for shooting human beings. 3D-printed guns are used for shooting human beings. There’s no other need for them.

“Officers are going to be going to situations now where there’s at least 30 or 40 more handguns on the street.”

Seven individuals face a variety of charges including 25-year-old Blake Ellison-Crate, who was serving a 12-year sentence for multiple gun trafficking crimes, including manufacturing and selling 3D-printed guns. Police said investigators learned that Ellison-Crate was shipping firearm components from across Canada to addresses in Winnipeg using recorded correctional facility phones and a contraband cell phone smuggled into Stony Mountain.

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As well, investigators intercepted pictures of 3D-printed Glock handguns sent via text messages and learned that Ellison-Crate had money deposited into his bank account on several occasions which were used to eTransfer money to firearms retailers to purchase firearm components that were used to assembled 3D-printed Glock handguns.

“As of today, investigators fear that upwards of 30 to 40 3D-printed Glock handguns may have been manufactured and trafficked into Winnipeg and the surrounding area,” said Hall.

The investigation began last November when the Winnipeg Police’s Firearms Investigation and Enforcement Unit (FIEU) began investigating the manufacturing and trafficking of 3D-printed firearms. A crime network had approached several local metal fabricators to create components to manufacture Glock-style 3D handguns.

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Concerns regarding these custom orders were reported to the Winnipeg Police.

“Between November and December 2023, other manufacturing businesses contacted police with similar concerns,” said Hall. “In one instance, an individual enquired about the opportunity to have handgun receivers manufactured.”

Surveillance was obtained from an adjacent building to one of the manufacturing businesses in which investigators observed a male enter into a cab parked a short distance away. In that instance, the male provided a fake name to the cab company, Hall said.

As a result, FIEU entered into an investigation, with the assistance of the RCMP National Weapons Enforcement Team (NWEST), the Canada Border Services Agency, Correctional Service Canada and Manitoba Corrections, and last December Project Gauge was begun. The investigation led police to conduct several hours of physical surveillance until a positive identification of the male in the cab was determined.

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Hall said he was identified as an associate of Ellison-Crate, who was previously charged with firearms infractions and trafficking by Winnipeg Police FIEU in 2022. In cooperation of partnering agencies, Hall said it was determined that firearms components were being trafficked to addresses in Winnipeg. Communications were intercepted and recorded by investigators both from the correctional facility where the full conversations occurred and from the contraband cell phone.

“Conversations were also intercepted where individuals were literally ‘schooling’ one another in the manufacturing of 3D-printed firearms,” said Hall. “Many of these conversations occurred for hours at a time. Additional conversations were intercepted directing individuals to purchase 3D printers and move them to locations in Winnipeg to prevent police detection.”

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On March 20, search warrants were executed at Winnipeg residences in the 200 block of Dumoulin Street, 300 block of Parkview Street, 100 block of Prevette Street and 600 block of Setter Street and several individuals were taken into custody. As well, Ellison-Crate’s cell block at Stony Mountain was searched and the cell phone and another electronic device was seized.

A 25-year-old woman was arrested at the Dumoulin Street location while a 25-year-old man was arrested at the Parkview location and a 26-year-old man at the Setter Street location. The two men were charged with weapons trafficking and other offences and detained in custody.

On April 19, FIEU attended Stony Mountain and arrested Ellison-Crate on the strength of a warrant for weapons trafficking and manufacturing and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. He had previously been transferred to a prison in Alberta before being returned to Stony Mountain to face charges.

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Subsequent arrests were made on May 8, May 14 and June 5, with a 45-year-old woman, 23-year-old man – arrested at Headingley Correctional Institution – and 46-year-old man were charged with a variety of offences. The 46-year-old man was released on an Undertaking.

As a result of this investigation, a 3D-printed Glock-style handgun, 9mm ammunition, 3D printer, filament and SD cards storing prohibited computer data, tools to manufacture handgun, three non-restricted rifles, two prohibited knives, SKS ammunition, computers and cell phones were seized. The seizure of the 3D firearm and the 3D printer was from Setter Street address.

Anyone with information regarding illicit manufacturing, trafficking or possession of 3D-printed guns can call FIEU at 204-986-3258 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-TIPS or winnipegcrimestoppers.org.

“I want to publicly thank the businesses who did come forward to report suspicious activity,” said Hall. “Your actions foiled the continuation of criminality and likely prevented a dreadful outcome.”

glen.dawkins@kleinmedia.ca

X: @SunGlenDawkins

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