Winnipeg police seize 3D-printed AR-15 firearm, dozens of gun parts from North End home

An 18-year-old man is facing numerous weapons charges after Winnipeg police seized 20 3D-printed Glock-style parts, an AR-15-style firearm resembling a toy and various other items used to manufacture 3D-printed guns from a home on Boyd Avenue. 

Police were initially tipped off by the Canada Border Services Agency in January about parts used to complete 3D-printed guns being shipped from China and the United States into Canada to addresses in Winnipeg.

The shipments were disguised as tools and manufacturing equipment, said Insp. Elton Hall of the organized crime division. 

Investigators identified an address on Boyd Avenue as the final destination for shipments, believing individuals were manufacturing guns at this location, Hall said. 

Police said they searched the house on March 31 and seized parts and devices used to make functioning 3D-printed firearms, including:

• 20 3D-printed Glock-style parts, some of which had a Gucci label on them.
• A 3D-printed AR-15-style firearm that looked similar to a toy Nerf gun.
• Close to 100 auto-sears/switches, which are used to convert handguns into fully automatic firearms.
• Three 3D-printed magazines.
• A 3D printer and numerous spools of filament.
• A Type 81 rifle.
• Numerous loose firearm components, including trigger mechanisms, rails and springs.

An 18-year-old man was arrested and charged with numerous weapons and drug offences, including weapons trafficking, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.