Storage locker found with assault rifles, dynamite and heroin

VERNON – Two men are facing a variety of charges after a storage locker was found with assault rifles, heroin and thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods.

Police stopped a vehicle April 8 to arrest a man for an outstanding warrant, but the passenger and driver tried to flee police on foot. The pair were arrested nearby shortly after and a search of the vehicle found a loaded pistol, according to a police press release.

Based on the investigation, police got a search warrant for a storage locker the pair visited.

On April 9 RCMP searched the storage locker and found a large collection of stolen or illegal items, including: another handgun, two sawed off shotguns, three semi-automatic assault rifles, dynamite sticks, heroin, stolen auto parts and stolen camera equipment.

The automotive parts were traced back to break-ins in Vernon earlier this year and valued at $11,000. The camera gear is worth roughly $10,000 and was from a residential break and enter in Penticton.

The RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit were called in to deal with the dynamite sticks.

John Ross, a 25-year-old Lower Mainland resident, and Taras Becker, a 28-year-old Vernon man, both face numerous charges after the arrests and search. 

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