Man admits to smuggling guns from United States into Canada

BURLINGTON, Vt. – A Canadian man has admitted to smuggling handguns from the United States into Canada, including some that were left in a library that straddles the border of Vermont and Canada.

Authorities say 40-year-old Alexis Vlachos, of Montreal, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Burlington. He could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Court documents say that between 2010 and 2011, Vlachos worked with others to get about 100 handguns purchased from dealers in Florida into Canada, which restricts handgun ownership.

Some of the guns were left at the Haskell Library by an accomplice. Vlachos then retrieved them and took then into Canada. Other guns were carried across a remote stretch of border.

Vlachos’ lawyer Paul Volk says the facts will be further developed prior to sentencing in May.