Police, border service officers descend on Oliver residence

OLIVER – Two security teams joined up to search the Oliver home of a man alleged to have smuggled weapons into Canada, at the same time the man was before the courts in Penticton yesterday.

Members of the Canadian Border Services Agency, the Oliver RCMP and the RCMP Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant in relation to an ongoing firearms smuggling investigation associated with Alex Louie, Border Services Agency communications officer Stefanie Wudel said in an email.

“We can confirm officers of the CBSA Criminial Investigations Section attended a residence in Oliver during the morning of Feb. 15,” Wudel said.

Louie was arrested at the Osoyoos border crossing Feb. 1. He faces nine charges by the border agency, including two counts of smuggling, two counts of possession of unlawfully imported goods, one count of making false statements under the Customs Act and two counts each of unauthorized possession of firearms and importing firearms knowing it is unauthorized under the criminal code.

Louie was in court on the morning of Feb.15, requesting an adjournment to allow time to prepare his case. The self represented indigenous man has yet to enter a plea in the case.

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