A Winnipeg man and woman are facing charges after 11 improvised guns were seized from what police allege was a manufacturing operation Sunday.
Police said officers were working in the area of Balmoral Street and Cumberland Avenue when they came across a man on a bicycle darting in and out of traffic.
Police tried to speak to the man, but said he fled on his bike.
The man was later seen entering a yard in the 500 block of Maryland, allegedly carrying a weapon, so officers took him and a woman in the residence into custody.
Police applied for a warrant to search the home and seized 11 homemade guns, a prohibited bolt action rifle with a sling, materials to make more homemade guns, and a gram of meth.
Leslie Randolph Beaulieu, 27, was charged with three counts of possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, two counts of a firearm, restricted or prohibited weapon or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order; weapons trafficking, and possession of meth.
Krista Marie Roulette, 38, was charged with possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized and four counts of failure to comply with recognizance. She was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to attend court.
Officers seeing more gun crime in Winnipeg: police
Insp. Max Waddell with the Winnipeg Police Service organized crime unit said gun-related violence is on the rise in Manitoba.
“In Manitoba we have one of the highest provincial rates of firearm-related violent crime at 48 victims per 100,000. That’s nearly double the Canadian average,” he said in a press conference Tuesday.
Officers are seizing more guns in the city. In 2016, police pulled 773 firearms off the streets; then saw the number increase to 1183 in 2017 and 1747 in 2018.
Homemade gun crime is also on the rise.
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Waddell said Winnipeg police have already seized 31 this year, compared to 52 in all of 2018, indicating the use of the weapon is “trending upwards.”
He added that there’s a link to meth and improvised guns.
“Our intelligence and sources tell us that many meth users want to be in possession of firearms, not only to protect themselves, but to protect their drug trade,” Waddell said. “We’ve learned a lot of these meth users are seeking out individuals that are manufacturing these firearms, which is obviously very concerning, not only for law enforcement, but also for members of the public.”
Police are asking people with information on gun crime to call Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
-With a file from CTV's Jeremie Charron
