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Weapon arsenal uncovered – Metro US

Weapon arsenal uncovered

Thousands of restricted weapons that read like a prop list from a ninja film will never make it onto city streets, as Mounties and border patrol officers have intercepted a shipment of peculiar weapons big enough to equip a small army.

In the bust made at the Edmonton International Airport last week, officers discovered 1,200 brass knuckles, 1,000 throwing stars, 500 blow guns with pinpoint darts with the potential for poison tips, 80 short-grip crossbows and numerous four-blade handheld weapons, which RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes described as “like something from a movie with villains from outer space.”

“That item,” Oakes said, pointing at a pile of blow guns, “should not be pointed at anything you don’t intend to kill. If that doesn’t speak to the lethality of that gun, I don’t know what does —­ that comes right from the manufacturer.”

Also taken during the seizure were Batman, Ironman and Transformer ceramic masks, believed to be counterfeit.

A quick-thinking border guard doubted the legitimacy of the cargo, which arrived at Canadian customs on June 16. The arsenal was uncovered under a layer of legitimate items, and is, to date, the largest cache of restricted weapons seized in provincial history.

Though officials were cryptic about where the shipment was destined, they expressed relief the weapons will never end up in the wrong hands.

“This seizure is indicative of the importance we get this stuff off the streets, so it doesn’t hit the communities, the schools, Canada as a whole, and keeps it out of the hands of criminals,” said criminal inquiries division director Mike Skappak.

Officers arrested a man in connection with the bust on Monday. Charges and release of the suspect’s name are pending.