Devon woman charged following firearms trafficking investigation

A 23-year-old Devon woman faces 11 charges following a four-month investigation by Edmonton Police Service (EPS) into firearms trafficking.

According to police, the woman used a licence she obtained late last summer to buy several restricted firearms. One then turned up at the scene of a suspicious death in Saskatoon in December with its serial number defaced.

A short time after EPS began investigating in April, the woman reported her vehicle stolen with all her registered firearms inside.

“In July 2022, the EPS Gang Suppression Team (GST) was conducting an unrelated criminal investigation when they also recovered a defaced firearm that was once registered to the woman,” police say. “Recovery of this firearm furthered investigator’s belief that she was operating as a ‘Straw Buyer’; a term used to describe someone who uses a legitimate Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) to purchase firearms legally and then traffic/sell them illegally.”