On January 16, 2025, Canadian man Harsimran Dhaliwal, 31, was sentenced in the US to 82 months in prison and given a $30,000 fine for illegally purchasing handguns to smuggle into Canada.
Dhaliwal was identified as a result of a Nov. 2, 2022 EPS search warrant in two Edmonton residences, where EPS EDGE (Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement) members located eight handguns and more than $930,000 in drugs and cash. In that investigation, Adam Salah Johma, then 53, and another 34-year-old man were charged with 102 offences. The 34-year-old man could not be named to protect the identity of a child who was found living in a residence where drug trafficking was taking place.
The EPS Firearms Examination Unit was able to restore the serial number from one of the firearms seized from the search warrant. RCMP Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre then traced the firearm to a buyer in Texas. Agents with the American ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) developed a suspect in Edmonton, and together with members of EPS FIU, identified the suspect as Sherwood Park man Harsimran Dhaliwal.
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Handgun seized in Edmonton and traced to buyer in Texas
An ATF investigation revealed that Dhaliwal was traveling back and forth from Edmonton to Texas to purchase and organize shipments of handguns into Canada, working with several other straw buyers to obtain the guns. US authorities arrested Dhaliwal in Texas on Sep. 22, 2023.
“This arrest and ultimate sentencing of a prolific straw buyer is an outstanding example of the complexity and teamwork that goes into these investigations,” says S/Sgt Eric Stewart, with the EPS Firearms Investigation Section. “Our firearms teams have established the resources and the partnerships to work across international borders, so we are able to identify and hold accountable those who are bringing illegal weapons from the US into Canada.”