A man linked to an illegal gun manufacturing operation in Langley and Abbotsford, that used 3D printing to make parts, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Tyson Saverio Santolla was charged with five counts, including firearms manufacturing, three counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of a restricted firearm without a licence after raids at two Aldergrove and two Abbotsford homes in May of 2021.
He was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 30.
In June last year, Santolla pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, and to a count of manufacturing firearms, according to Sgt. Sarbjit K. Sangha, a spokesperson for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).
When the charges were announced in 2023, CFSEU indicated that officers seized 3D printers, gun parts, and printed pistol frames.
A 3D printer can make item, usually out of plastic, to custom design. Their use in making some gun parts has caused concern for police agencies.
Four people were initially arrested in the raids, and the homes were identified as being in the 5100-block of 248 Street and the 26500-block of 32A Avenue in Aldergrove, and the 30900-block of Westridge Place and the 32400-block of Simon Avenue in Abbotsford.
The firearm manufacturing lab was found in the Westridge Place home, along with drug manufacturing equipment, police said at the time.
“The combination of illegal firearms and drug trafficking poses a significant danger to public safety,” said Sangha.
“This outcome demonstrates our commitment to removing these threats from our communities and ensuring those responsible face meaningful consequences.”
This was not Santolla’s first brush with the law.
In 2013, he pleaded guilty in Richmond Provincial Court to using a false document to enter or remain in Canada.
That charge was linked to a drug arrest in Australia. and two other men were arrested in the Australian town of Surfers Paradise, and charged for allegedly smuggling 3,400 tablets of ecstasy inside a Sony PlayStation.
Customs officers in Sydney had detected the tablets, inserted a listening device in the old video game console, and tracked the package.
Santolla failed to turn up for sentencing, and an Australian court issued a warrant for his arrest. He had flown to Canada, where he was arrested at Vancouver International Airport and accused of travelling on a passport that didn’t have his proper name, and of lying to immigration authorities.
According to Australian media reports, the passport belonged to his twin brother. Santolla consented to extradition back to Australia on the drug charges.