New Brunswick couple accused of trying to smuggle weapons into Canada

6 years ago

WOODSTOCK, New Brunswick — A Canadian man and woman were scheduled to appear in a provincial courtroom Tuesday after the couple allegedly attempted to smuggle illegal weapons into Canada from the U.S.

Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh of the New Brunswick Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Tuesday that David Allen Polchies, 56, and Sharon Ann Weeks, 46, arrived at the Woodstock border crossing in New Brunswick on Oct.4. The crossing is located across the international border from Houlton, Maine.

The couple was referred for secondary inspection by the Canadian Border Services Agency officers, who then allegedly found two semi-automatic rifles and prohibited overcapacity magazines.

‎The residents of Teeds Mills, New Brunswick, were arrested and charged with importing restricted firearms under the criminal code, according to Rogers-Marsh. She said CBSA Enforcement and Intelligence agents also filed Customs Act charges against the couple for non-report, untrue statements and smuggling.

On Oct., 5, members of the RCMP executed a search warrant at a home in Teeds Mills, near Woodstock in relation to the seizure at the border. A number of firearms and ammunition were seized along with a large quantity of cash.

Rogers-Marsh said she could not reveal where the couple was coming from or where they acquired the weapons because that information is all part of the ongoing investigation. She also would not say whether either of the two have a criminal record.

She said law enforcement officials are looking into what the couple intended to do with the weapons.