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Tuesday, August 19, 2014
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Weapons trafficking
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‘Dr Frankenstein’ of guns charged
Gun parts were found under the booster seat of the suspect’s five-year-old son.
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by Matthew Claxton mclaxton@langleyadvance.com
Prosecutors laid 37 more charges against a Walnut Grove man accused of running an international gun trading business from his suburban home. Guns and gun parts from a suburban Langley home have been flowing to gangsters both here and internationally, police say. A Langley man, Bradley Michael Friesen, 37, is now facing 46 gun-related charges in B.C., as well as more charges in the United States. “This guy essentially is a freelance gun parts maker,” said Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, spokesperson for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). Houghton called him a “Dr. Frankenstein” of fireMore arms. Photos Friesen came to Canadian attention as a result of online Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance an investigation by the An AR-15, held by Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the CFSEU, was seized from an American Bureau of Alcohol, alleged Langley gun dealer. Inset above right: A 1943 Sten gun, an antique Tobacco, and Firearms submachine gun used by Canadian and British troops during the Second World (ATF) in Arizona. War, was among the weapons and accessories seized. In May, ATF officers contacted the local anti-gang When investigators zine. They also found an AR-15 police. They said a B.C. man learned their target was going assault rifle, converted from semiwas suspected of selling Glock automatic to fully automatic, and parts and silencers over the inter- camping on Osoyoos in July with his five-year-old child, they a 1943 Sten sub machine gun net. obtained search warrants for with a 32-round magazine, 32 The CFSEU investigation prohibited Glock auto switches, involved surveilling their suspect. both his home and workshop, along with his van and tent at the seven sound suppressors (also “It did not take long before he NK’Mip campground. known as silencers) and magawas observed mailing packages On July 16, they arrested zines and ammunition. of auto sears and silencers to Friesen, and seized a long list of Most of the magazines were addresses in Canada, the U.S., guns and gun components, some “unpinned.” Canadian law limits and Australia,” said Houghton. of them in various stages of conhow much ammunition can be Auto sears are small devices struction. put in a magazine. Police believe that can be used to convert guns From his van and tent, offiFriesen had unpinned larger to fire on full-auto. A full-auto cers seized a CZ858 fully automagazines to allow them to be weapon will keep firing as long matic assault rifle with a loaded loaded with many more bullets. as the trigger is held down. 75-round drum magazine and Police found another CZ858 He was also seen visiting a another loaded 40-round magasemi-automatic rifle at Friesen’s workshop in Langley. www.langleyadvance.com
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home near the 21000 block of 95A Avenue in Walnut Grove, books on making suppressors, and more gun parts and magazines. When police arrested him, they found one of the guns, unloaded, within reach of Friesen’s son’s booster seat. More gun parts were stashed under the seat itself. “As a parent, I find this absolutely appalling,” Houghton said. A family member took the child, and the Ministry of Children was contacted. Friesen was originally charged with two counts of weapons trafficking, two counts possession for the purpose of weapons trafficking, importing or exporting unauthorized components, and two counts of gun possession contrary to a prohibition order. On Monday, the CFSEU announced the next 37 charges, including 10 counts of possession of firearms and other devices contrary to a prohibition order, three counts of weapons trafficking, six counts of careless use of a firearm, and other charges related to importing and exporting or possession of guns and ammunition. Friesen was convicted of a 2003 attempted murder in Penticton using a gun. He has a lifetime ban on owning or possessing guns. The suspect is now in custody in Surrey and will await trial here on his charges. Houghton said up to 30 more charges could be laid in the near future, and the police are trying to track down leads to his alleged customers. “We’re looking for any type of record, digital or paper copy,” Houghton said. Friesen is thought to have links to a number of mid-level criminal groups in B.C.
Downtown Langley City
Arts Alive downtown Barry Wilkinson of the Fraser Valley Woodturners Guild put his bowl-making skills on display during Langley’s Arts Alive Festival. Troy Landreville Langley Advance
The rain stayed away, and crowds came out to Saturday’s 21st annual festival that celebrates art and music in Langley. See story and more photos on page A9 and online at www.langleyadvance.com.
Troy Landreville/Langley Advance
Lucy the Chihuahua gave her owner, artist Lisa Powers, a lick on the cheek during the 21st annual Arts Alive Festival. Powers’s mixed media piece, The Break Dancer, is part of a series, Music and the Way We Respond.