Handgun seized in Edmonton and traced to buyer in Texas. (supplied photo/Edmonton Police Service)

By Alice McFarlane

Guns smuggled in straw bales

Canadian straw buyer arrested, sentenced in U.S.

Feb 12, 2025 | 9:59 AM

A straw buyer from Sherwood Park, Alta. linked to a firearm found during a 2022 Edmonton search warrant has been sentenced in the United States.

On Jan. 16, 31-year-old Harsimran Dhaliwal received 82 months in prison and given a $30,000 fine for illegally purchasing handguns to smuggle into Canada.

EPS executed a search warrant in two Edmonton residences on Nov. 2, 2022, where the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement members located eight handguns and more than $930,000 in drugs and cash.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives developed a suspect and identified him as Dhaliwal.

He was arrested in Texas in September 2023 after being identified as a straw buyer who was working with other straw buyers to purchase and ship handguns to Canada.

Canola tariffs hit hard as AgriStability program falls short: Sask Oilseeds

Mar 26, 2025

Tariffs

Moe to press on canola in call with new Prime Minister Carney

Mar 21, 2025

Awards

Husband and wife duo wins Sask. Outstanding Young Farmers Award

Mar 21, 2025

S/Sgt Eric Stewart, with the EPS Firearms Investigation Section, said the sentencing of a straw buyer is an outstanding example of the complexity and teamwork that goes into these investigations.

“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 U.S. into Canada,” Stewart said in a news release.

–

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @farmnewsNOW