An Ottawa man is facing more than 100 charges after 28 handguns were found in a hotel room in North York, Toronto police say.
According to investigators, a staff member at a North York hotel was cleaning a room on the afternoon of Aug. 21 when they found three firearms.
The employee alerted hotel management, who then notified police of the discovery, Supt. Steve Watts, of the Organized Crime Enforcement unit, told reporters on Monday morning.
The hotel room was sealed and another 25 firearms were later located in the room by officers following the execution of a search warrant, Watts said.
Toronto police said officers found 20 Glock Pistols, four Springfield Armory Pistols, three Smith & Wesson Pistols and one Sig Sauer Pistol.
“Gun violence continues to be one of the most significant public safety concerns in our city,” Watts said during a news conference at Toronto police headquarters, where the weapons were on display.
“The vast majority of gun violence is perpetrated by people who are unlawfully in possession of illegal crime guns that you see before you. These guns were 100 per cent destined for our streets in Toronto.”
A suspect, identified by investigators as Ahmed Farah, a 30-year-old Ottawa resident, faces 136 charges, including 28 counts of possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm without holding a licence. All but one of the charges Farah faces are firearm-related offences.
Investigators are working to determine the origin of the guns and Watts said some have been linked to the southern U.S.
“There is a lot of border crossings. There is a lot of opportunity,” he said, adding that police are continuing to work with federal and provincial partners as well as U.S. officials in an effort to stop the flow of illegal guns across the border.
Watts called the seizure "significant," adding that Toronto police have seized 382 guns to date in 2023. He said 1,301 guns have been seized in Ontario this year.
"We are responsible for almost 30 per cent of crime gun seizures (in the province)," Watts added.
Watts said that he would like to “commend” the hotel employee who reported the discovery to police.
"We cannot do our job without the public’s assistance and this is a perfect example of that assistance," Watts said.
"As a result of this seizure, they (the guns) cannot be used to take someone else’s life and severely injure and maim people."
