87 guns wrapped in bubble wrap, holiday paper in Chicago were destined for Canada, police say

Toronto police say 173 guns were seized in both Canada and the U.S. as part of a cross-border firearms trafficking investigation.

As part of a year-long investigation, Project Moneypenny saw a large number of firearms seized, 42 people arrested, and 422 criminal charges laid. Illegal narcotics such as fentanyl, carfentanil and cocaine as well as cash were also seized, police said.

Toronto’s Deputy Police Chief Robert Johnson said of the guns seized, 87 of them were handguns wrapped in bubble wrap “to avoid damage to the firearms” and then wrapped in holiday paper in an “attempt to avoid detection by border security.”

The guns were then placed in suitcases at the back of a Chicago vehicle being driven by a resident from Arizona and were destined for Canada, Johnson said.