44 guns from Regina store still missing after 3 years

Regina police still don’t know where 44 guns stolen from Regina’s Wholesale Sports are.

It was early in the morning on Dec. 14 in 2011 when 52 weapons, of various types, plus ammunition were stolen from the eastend store.

“There isn’t anything that assists the investigators in determining who committed the original break, enter and theft,” Regina police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich.

Last year, a drug bust in Calgary led to five of the stolen arms being recovered.

A 33-year-old man from that city was charged. There was no evidence to suggest he was responsible for the break, enter and theft in Regina.

In October, one of the stolen handguns was recovered as part of a search in a Calgary drug investigation.

In August, a Calgary resident found one in a basement.

In May, it was a Winnipeg traffic stop that turned up another stolen handgun.

“There’s nothing that indicates that these three are related to each other except that they came from the same B&E here,” said Popowich. The serial numbers’ of all of the stolen weapons were entered into the Canadian Police Information database.

Police have never said how entry was gained to the business and still don’t know who did it.

That means this is still an open investigation. Eight down, 44 to go.

“The fact that the others have not been turned in or discovered would lead us to think that they’re probably being used in the commission of other offences, elsewhere in the country. But we don’t know that for certain,” said Popowich, who wasn’t willing to offer up further detail into the investigation.

“We’re not in the habit ever of discussing details of ongoing investigations,” she said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Regina Police at 306-777-8500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.