Border seizures in Prince Rupert net weapon and boat in June

CBSA officers seized this prohibited
weapon above in June, after
a traveller had hidden its parts
throughout her car

Travellers transiting through the Prince Rupert border crossing at the Alaska Marine Highway System Terminal at Fairview Bay learned a hard lesson in June, as Canadian Border Service Agents conducted two high profile seizures during the last month.

The first took place on June 4th when it was discovered that a traveller from Alaska seeking entry to Canada at the terminal had hidden various parts of a .380 pistol in various areas of the vehicle, with the frame of the weapon hidden in the vehicle's engine air filter.

The female traveller was immediately placed under arrest and afforded her rights. The weapon ,which is a prohibited weapon in Canada was seized with no term of release while the traveller was released and allowed to proceed into Canada after paying a conveyance penalty of $1,000.

Statistics from 2015 show that a number of travellers that transit to and from Alaska, either don't know the regulations, or seem to forget or disregard them, as there were 297 incidents of undeclared firearms reported in Western Canada, with 50 percent of those incidents related to travellers making their way to or from Alaska through Canadian border positions.

CBSA officers made two significant seizures at the AMHS
Terminal at Fairview Bay last month

The second incident involved a vessel being imported from Alaska into Canada through the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal, with CBSA officials calling into question the declared value of the vessel.

After further examination and research it was determined that the vessel had been undervalued by $24,000 dollars American.

At that time, CBSA officials placed the vessel under seizure, it was later released to the importer following the payment of over $30,000 Canadian for the duties on the declared value and the penalties on the portion that had been undervalued.

The two incidents from June highlight just some of the work that CBSA officers conduct at the Prince Rupert border crossing and other points of entry into the North Coast.


“Our border services officers proudly serve to protect the safety and security of Canadians by supporting legitimate trade and travel. These two seizures are an important reminder for travellers entering Canada to declare all their goods and report truthfully to border services officers.” – Glenn Bonnett, A/Chief of Operations at the Prince Rupert port of entry, Pacific Region

The full media release from CBSA can be found here.

More background on the case files of Emergency Service workers in the Northwest can be found on our archive page.