Eighteen people were arrested when New West police, Burnaby RCMP and the Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at a home on Sixth Street last week.
According to a release from Burnaby RMCP, a home in the 7700 block of Sixth Street has been the source of many complaints from residents in both Burnaby and New Westminster. Neighbours told police they believed residents of the home were involved in criminal activity in the area.
On Aug. 14, officers executed a search warrant on the home. Eighteen people were arrested, all alleged to have been involved in “ongoing property and drug-related crimes in Burnaby and neighbouring New Westminster,” stated the release.
The search turned up a large cache of items, including 10 swords, nine knives, a switchblade (illegal in Canada), a stun gun, a cross bow, pepper spray, several pellet guns, ammunition, a collapsible baton, bayonets, low-grade body armour, an explosive device and a decommissioned .38-calibre handgun, according to the release.
Officers also found two war medals, believed to be from the Second World War and Vietnam, several coin collections, a mountain bike, a point-of-sale machine used to swipe credit and debit cards in stores, and several pieces of identification, the release added.
“This is a great example of effectively working with our policing partners to collaboratively solve crime that has a profound effect on our communities. This is intelligence-led policing at its finest, and we are always pleased when we can get weapons off our streets that could potentially harm the public,” Chief Dave Jones of the New Westminster Police Department, said in the release.
Of the 18 people arrested, 16 have since been released while two remain in custody at this time – one on an outstanding warrant and the other on numerous charges.
According to the release, overall police are recommending 23 counts of breaking a court undertaking, five counts of failing to comply with a weapon and/or firearms prohibition order, two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon and one count of unauthorized possession of an explosive device.
An inspection of the property was completed and the City of Burnaby identified several bylaw infractions and “is in the process of working with the property owner to comply with repairs. The City of Burnaby and the Burnaby RCMP will continue to monitor the property,” stated the release.
