The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reporting that Robert Ripcik, a 57-year-old resident of Beausejour, Manitoba, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for firearms-related offences along with a 10-year firearm prohibition and ordered to provide a DNA sample.

Ripcik, who has been in custody since his arrest on March 12, 2024, pleaded guilty in Selkirk Provincial Court to the following charges:

  • False statements, contrary to section 153(a) of the Customs Act
  • Possession of illegally imported goods, contrary to section 155 of the Customs Act
  • Unauthorized possession of firearms, contrary to section 91(1) of the Criminal Code
  • Possession of prohibited devices, contrary to section 91(2) of the Criminal Code
  • Possession of a prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition, contrary to section 95(1)of the Criminal Code

The investigation into Ripcik began in April 2023 after CBSA officers at the Winnipeg Land Commercial office examined a shipment that was found to contain items related to the manufacture of firearms without serial numbers. A firearm with no serial number is also known as a “ghost gun” and is untraceable.

In March and April 2024, CBSA officers, with the assistance of the RCMP Emergency Response Team, executed search warrants at a rural property near Chatfield, Manitoba. Among the items seized were:

  • Nine long guns with serial numbers (two prohibited firearms, seven non-restricted firearms)
  • Two Polymer 80 pistol receiver blanks for Glock pattern handguns (restricted firearms) and other handgun parts without serial numbers
  • One Ghost Gunner Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine and one 3D printer
  • One lower receiver for an AR pattern rifle without serial number (a prohibited firearm)
  • Fully automatic parts for an AR pattern rifle (prohibited devices) and other AR parts
  • Multiple overcapacity magazines (prohibited devices) and ammunition
  • One fully automatic AR-15 pattern rifle (prohibited firearm)
  • One automatic switch for a Glock handgun (prohibited device)

“The Canada Border Services Agency is committed to keeping prohibited firearms and firearms parts off our streets and away from our communities,” said Janalee Bell-Boychuk, Regional Director General, Prairie Region, CBSA. “Ghost guns in particular pose a serious risk for many reasons, including how difficult they are to trace when used by criminals. Today’s conviction and five-year sentence is a direct result of the hard work of the CBSA Integrated Firearm Enforcement Team and our intelligence and criminal investigators in Winnipeg. I would like to thank our law enforcement partners, the Winnipeg Police Service, the RCMP, and Manitoba Conservation for their contributions in this case and for their continued commitment to protecting our citizens and our communities.”

The CBSA Integrated Firearm Enforcement Team (IFET), with assistance from the Winnipeg Police Service, the RCMP and Manitoba Conservation, led the complex investigation that resulted in this conviction.