A machine gun and sawed off shotgun were among stolen property seized during police searches on the weekend that also resulted in three arrests.
The arrests happened Friday after police stopped a van on the Nanaimo Parkway near Mostar Road. A search of the van uncovered four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition. Police arrested one male suspect, 37.
Police then moved in on a house on York Crescent in central Nanaimo where they believed a large amount of stolen property was stashed. Investigators recovered a stolen .45-calibre, semi-automatic machine gun, a loaded sawed-off shotgun, tools, stereo equipment, stolen identification and other items. They also arrested another 37-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman.
All three suspects are Nanaimo residents.
Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the suspects names have not been released as formal charges have yet to be sworn against them.
