Former Manitoba MP and Dauphin Mayor Inky Mark has been charged following a months-long firearm trafficking investigation that resulted in the confiscation of more than 400 guns and an antique cannon earlier this month.
Mark was arrested after RCMP seized 439 guns, an antique cannon, ammunition, and more than $300,000 in cash from a western Manitoba home near the city of Dauphin during a July 7 search, Manitoba RCMP Cpl. Barry Kirby said at a July 13 press conference.
“It’s expected to take several weeks for investigators to document the large collection of evidence gathered at the residence and determine how many firearms were illegally possessed,” Kirby said. “What we’re able to confirm today is that at least three firearms were illegally trafficked, at least one firearm had its serial number tampered with, and hundreds of the firearms were improperly stored inside the home.”
Mark appeared in court last week to answer to a dozen charges and was released from custody with specific conditions.
The 78-year-old former politician has been charged with firearms trafficking, possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number, possession of a firearm when knowing possession is unauthorized, and possession of a restricted/prohibited weapon with ammo without a licence.
The investigation dates back to late March, when the RCMP received information regarding firearms charges filed in the United States against a 73-year-old man from the Dauphin area, Kirby said. This led to an RCMP investigation, which culminated in additional charges being brought against that individual.
Kirby said a search warrant connected with that case led RCMP to find and seize firearms that Mark has been accused of purchasing. Police are alleging the guns were “never lawfully transferred.”
Mark has no criminal history and Kirby described him as “a firearm collector.” He told reporters his unit is still investigating why the former MP had so many guns.
Kirby was asked whether the trafficking charge and the cash discovered implied that Mark was suspected of engaging in illegal gun sales, but he replied that the matter remains under investigation. He added that more charges could be laid against Mark as the investigation progresses.
Political Career
Mark is a former MP who represented a constituency in the Dauphin area, currently referred to as Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, from 1997 until his resignation in 2010. He began his parliamentary career with the Reform Party, later joined the Canadian Alliance, and concluded his tenure as a Conservative MP. He ran again in 2015 as an independent, but was unsuccessful in his bid.His political career started in 1991 when he was elected to city council before becoming the mayor of Dauphin in 1994. He left federal politics to again run for the mayoral seat, but lost the 2010 race to Eric Irwin.
