Gun smuggler hit with 'unprecedented' charge in deadly shooting
Suspected of bringing dozens of firearms into Canada illegally
Article content
A convicted gun smuggler faces “unprecedented” charges after a firearm he allegedly snuck into the country was tied to the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man.
Toronto Police say Jeffrey Gilmour, 44, is charged with ten new offences — including criminal negligence causing death.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Gun smuggler hit with 'unprecedented' charge in deadly shooting Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“This is believed to be the first time in Canadian law enforcement that the charge has been applied in this type of investigation,” Det.-Sgt. Robert DiDanieli, of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force Firearms Enforcement Unit, said Wednesday.
He said it’s not unlike charging a bar or homeowner for serving too much alcohol to someone who gets behind the wheel and dies in a crash.
“Those involved in the trafficking of illegal firearms show a wanton and reckless disregard for the lives of others by putting a lethal weapon into the hands of someone who is likely to use it for a dangerous purpose,” DiDanieli said. “Not only should they be held accountable for the offence of trafficking the firearm, but they should bear some responsibility for the crimes in which that firearm is used.”
Police launched a investigation into gun smuggling — dubbed Project 93 — in July 2019 that involved assistance from the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario, Firearms Analysis and Tracing Enforcement Program, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Canada Border Service Agency.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
DiDanieli said Gilmour was arrested while attempting to enter Canada from the U.S. — allegedly with three handguns concealed in his vehicle. According to the accusations, police executing a search warrant of his home uncovered a fourth handgun.
“All four of those handguns were purchased in Florida,” he said.
Gilmour pleaded guilty to gun trafficking-related offences in August 2019 and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.
After his conviction, police alleged guns Gilmour purchased continued to be discovered in the GTA.
One gun was allegedly recovered at the scene of a sudden death near Dufferin St. and Finch Ave. W. in December 2019.
Police concluded a young man found dead in a vehicle accidentally shot himself.
Investigators alleged a revolver found in the dead man’s vehicle was purchased in Florida by Gilmour in January 2019.
Gilmour had been paroled from prison and was living in a halfway house when he was arrested again on Oct. 29, 2020. He was released on bail within weeks of his arrest and now awaits his next court appearance Feb. 3.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
DiDanieli said another handgun with alleged ties to the accused was among the 11 firearms seized by York Regional Police last summer during Project End Game when officers raided a 20,000-square-foot mansion that was allegedly being used to run a high-end illegal casino.
On Twitter: @SunDoucette
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.