Bellingham man illegally crosses border through Peace Arch Park with 3 guns

A Bellingham man allegedly crossed into Canada illegally through both sides of Peace Arch Park March 31 with three loaded handguns and a stun gun. 

RCMP officers arrested John Wright after allegedly entering Canada from Blaine through Peace Arch State Park and Peace Arch Provincial Park, according to an April 13 RCMP news release. He joined a Canadian woman in a waiting cab in Surrey. RCMP officers arrested Wright under the Customs Act and seized three loaded handguns and a stun gun.

RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime spokesperson Arash Seyed told The Northern Light in an email Wright is believed to be a Bellingham resident. 

Wright was charged with smuggling, failure to comply with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition contrary to criminal code, according to the release. He has been remanded until a bail hearing, and the incident remains under investigation.

Seyed said the Canadian woman was also arrested but released without charge, and no charges are expected to be recommended against her.

“The excellent work of identifying and preventing an alleged armed individual from entering Canada is a demonstration of the BC RCMP Border Enforcement Team’s dedication to protecting Canadians from transnational criminal threats,” said superintendent Bert Ferreira, officer in charge of Federal Serious and Organized Crime – Border Integrity Program in B.C.