A modified firearm that was seized by Maskwacis RCMP. (Image Credit: Maskwacis RCMP/Supplied)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Child also on board

Maskwacis RCMP arrest four people, seize firearm following traffic stop

Jan 19, 2026 | 12:30 PM

Maskwacis RCMP arrested four people during a traffic stop last week after police seized a modified firearm.

On Jan. 15, police say they pulled over a vehicle for a non-working headlamp on Highway 2 and found the driver was suspended.

The RCMP also observed a firearm that they unlawfully possessed in plain view in the rear seat of the vehicle, which contained three other people and a child.

The firearm, a Ruger Mini-14 rifle .223 with a defaced serial number, was seized along with ammunition.

As a result, the RCMP arrested all four occupants and turned over the kid to child family services.

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“The proactive work by our general duty members does not go unnoticed. This again is an example of the dedication my team has on firearms and safety,” said Inspector Richard McKay, commander of Maskwacis RCMP. “It is concerning knowing there was a child within the same vehicle.“

A 30-year-old Maskwacis man was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle; knowingly possessing an unauthorized firearm; careless storage of a firearm; possession of a firearm knowing its serial number has been defaced; and three counts of failing to comply with release conditions.

He was taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody with a court date of January 20, 2026, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Wetaskiwin.

 Meantime, a 49-year-old woman, a 27-year-old woman, and a 41-year-old man, all from Maskwacis, were charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle; knowingly possessing an unauthorized firearm; careless storage of a firearm; and possession of a firearm knowing its serial number has been defaced.

The 41-year-old man was also charged with operating a motor vehicle with no insurance.

All three were taken before a Justice of the Peace and released with their next court date set for Feb. 10, 2026, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Wetaskiwin.

If anyone has any information concerning drugs and guns in the Maskwacis community, please contact the Maskwacis RCMP Detachment at 780-585-3767. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www. P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play. To contact the RCMP non-emergency line within any Alberta RCMP jurisdiction, call 310-RCMP(7267).