An early-morning check of a 23-year-old man walking with a blanket over his shoulder led a Nanaimo RCMP officer to seize four rifles found wrapped in the blanket.
The seizure took place about 4:30 a.m. on May 9 in a suburban area near Northfield and Wilgress roads, in central Nanaimo.
The incident started with the officer seeing the man carrying a large object. The officer approached him and was told it was just a blanket, but on further questioning, the man admitted there were rifles inside.
A quick examination of the rifles by the officer revealed that they were all in good shape. They were not loaded.
The man was arrested without incident for possession of stolen property and taken to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment.
The man would not say where the rifles came from. He was issued with a promise to appear on Aug. 13 in Nanaimo provincial court.
The rifles are described as having trigger locks and having tags with the name “Tim” on them. Police recorded the serial numbers, makes and models, and to date there is no sign they were reported stolen or used in criminal activity.
“It’s not too often we find someone walking down the street in the middle of the night with a blanket full of rifles,” Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien said. “They were obviously stolen and it is now up to us to find out where they came from and have them returned.”
He said the rifles might have been taken from a garage or a shed that hasn’t been checked yet by the owner.
Call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) with any information, or go to nanaimocrimestoppers.com
