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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Man pleads guilty in gun-smuggling operation
A Winnipeg man has admitted to his role in an elaborate gun-smuggling operation.
Adrian Lemay pleaded guilty this week to numerous weapons and trafficking-related charges. Crown and defence lawyers have made a joint recommendation for an 11-year prison sentence. Provincial court Judge Ted Lismer has reserved his decision until May 23.
Lemay and a co-accused, Robert Finlayson, were arrested in July 2010 following a police investigation into the flow of firearms. Finlayson pleaded guilty last year and was given an eight-year sentence. He admitted to taking advantage of his job at a city warehouse, Inland Pacific -- which ships guns across the country -- to steal and sell the weapons in order to feed his drug addiction.
Lemay has now admitted he would purchase the guns, which would then be re-sold once the serial numbers were removed. Crown attorney Mike Desautels told court Tuesday as many as 40 firearms vanished from the warehouse between 2009 and 2010, with many of them still unaccounted for.
Lemay has specifically pleaded guilty to his involvement in nine stolen guns, including a high-powered assault rifle, several handguns and five long guns. He also admitted to having a quantity of ecstasy and cocaine on him at the time of his arrest.
Most of the guns were being grabbed by Finlayson out of shipments bound for other cities, including Edmonton and Montreal, then quickly swapped with Lemay in exchange for cocaine.
Winnipeg police started an investigation after receiving reports of guns missing from orders placed with Inland Pacific. They initially focused on a city courier, who coincidentally had picked up two orders that Finlayson tampered with. Further investigation led directly to Finlayson, who confessed upon his arrest. He told police he was paid between $100 and $200 per gun, along with some crack cocaine. He also ratted out Lemay, court was told.
Gun violence has been a major issue in recent years, with several shootings and slayings making headlines while gang members attempt to settle personal scores and battle over lucrative drug profits. And while there have been sporadic arrests, police have struggled to cut off the source of many of the firearms that find their way into the hands of criminals.
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