Individual arrested for charges related to importing prohibited weapons

From: Canada Border Services Agency

News release

Petrolia, Ontario
OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau | Canada Border Services Agency
April 8, 2025

An individual is facing 24 charges under the Criminal Code (CC) and the Customs Act (CA) after a package was intercepted containing seven prohibited weapons.

On February 27, 2025, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted a package destined for a location in Petrolia. The package contained seven prohibited weapons. The CBSA’s Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team (OFSET) engaged Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) members assigned to the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) for further investigation.

On March 19, 2025, a warrant was executed by members from BEST, OPP-led Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit, CBSA-OFSET and Lambton County OPP Community Street Crime Unit at a residence in Petrolia. As a result, investigators seized:

  • Brass knuckles
  • Two automatic opening knives
  • A brass knuckle knife
  • A centrifugal opening knife with a thumb stud
  • A conducted energy weapon
  • Three butterfly knives

Phillip GRENDEL, age 32 of Petrolia, has been charged with the following offences contrary to the CC and CA:

  • Attempt to possess a prohibited weapon – seven counts
  • Possession of a prohibited weapon – two counts
  • Import a prohibited weapon knowing it’s unauthorized – seven counts
  • Unauthorized importation of a prohibited weapon – seven counts
  • Smuggling prohibited goods into Canada

The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sarnia on April 16, 2025.

If you have any information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.

Quotes

“Canada Border Services Agency officers and investigators work around the clock to stop the flow of prohibited weapons and prevent violence. I want to thank the CBSA and the Ontario Provincial Police for their joint efforts to disrupt criminality along the border and protect our communities.”

- Abeid Morgan, Director, Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team, Canada Border Services Agency

The cross-border movement of illegal commodities, including prohibited weapons, continues to threaten the safety of the communities we serve. The OPP has an important role in supporting the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in maintaining the security and integrity of our borders through combined enforcement and intelligence sharing. These partnerships allow for seamless collaboration with the shared goal of combatting cross-border illegal activity. We will continue to deter, detect and disrupt criminal activity in Ontario and beyond.”

– OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau

Quick facts

  • The Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) is led by the United States Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations. This is a multi-agency, cross-border enforcement team which includes members from the OPP, the CBSA, as well as various national and international partners. The primary responsibility of the BEST program is to identify, investigate, dismantle and prosecute persons and groups involved in organized crime activity with a nexus to the international border.

Contacts

OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau
Angie Sloan, Strategic Communications Advisor
angie.sloan@opp.ca

Canada Border Services Agency
media@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca  
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