Nanaimo RCMP seize two firearms in a single day, two arrested

Nanaimo RCMP say officers seized two firearms and arrested two individuals in two unrelated events in a single day.

According to a press release, members of the Nanaimo RCMP Bike Patrol encountered multiple people sitting on the steps of the Nanaimo Military Museum at around 8 a.m. on June 14.

One of the officers noticed that one man had a “fairly unique jeweler’s hammer” which, the release notes, lead to a conversation that resulted in Mounties finding a loaded sawed-off single-shot .22 calibre rifle concealed in the man’s waistband.

Robert McGeorge, 47 of no fixed address, was arrested and searched by officers, who allegedly found 16 additional rounds of ammunition. McGeorge later that day had multiple charges laid against him for weapons, drugs possession, possessing break-in tools and breach offences.

Later that same day, Nanaimo RCMP officers found a man passed out behind the wheel of a motor vehicle parked on Rosamond Street at around 3 p.m. Officers then woke the man up and detained him on suspicion of impairment by drugs.

According to the release, once the man was detained, officers located a black bag that they say held various amounts of suspected crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, MDMA and fentanyl. They also say they found another bag on the floor of the vehicle that contained a loaded sawed-off shotgun.

A 48-year-old Nanaimo man was arrested and held in custody overnight on weapons charges. He has since been released and has a court date pending for July. Mounties say his name can’t be released because he hasn’t been formally charged.

“These two interactions speak volumes to the inherent dangers police officers face on a daily basis. Disturbingly, officers are finding more and more criminals who have taken to arming themselves with these dangerous modified weapons,” Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson, said in a press release.

Nanaimo RCMP say they seized this sawed-off shotgun from a man on June 14. (Handout)

Nanaimo Mounties also say they seized this sawed-off single-shot .22 calibre rifle from a man on June 14. (Handout)

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