March 3, 2025 Lethbridge, Alberta Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is committed to protecting Canadians by ensuring individuals who attempt to smuggle illegal firearms across the border are held accountable.
On February 6, 2025, Randy Keith Thompson, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in Lethbridge Provincial Court to attempting to smuggle a loaded Ruger LC 380 handgun into Canada, and was convicted of the following charges:
- Section 159 of the Customs Act: Smuggling
- Section 153(a) of the Customs Act: False or deceptive statement
As a result of the conviction, Thompson received an $8,000 fine and a 10-year conditional firearms prohibition order, and was ordered to forfeit the seized firearm and magazines.
On September 8, 2024, Thompson attempted to cross into Canada at the Coutts, Alberta, port of entry. After properly declaring two non-restricted firearms, Thompson was questioned by border services officers and referred for a secondary vehicle search where he admitted to having an undeclared, loaded handgun hidden in the vehicle. CBSA officers subsequently arrested Thompson and charged him for offences under the Customs Act and the Criminal Code.
