THURSDAY JULY 5, 2007: THE NATIONAL POST

'Massive amount' of guns found in storage facility 

Police discover contraband after series of break-ins in Scarborough

By MATTHEW COUTTS 

A "massive amount" of guns and explosives were discovered by police after would-be thieves uncovered a unit storing the illegal contraband during a series of break and enters at a Scarborough storage facility yesterday. 

Police received a call at 11 a.m. from a staff member at Access Storage on Kennedy Road, near Steeles Avenue, who had discovered as many as 20 storage units had been broken into overnight.

Police found one of the units was packed with guns, drugs and explosives.

"A staff member contacted police this morning. A number of units had been entered, including one with a cache of weapons and explosives" said Staff Sergeant Peter Dolamore yesterday.

A bomb squad immediately secured and dismantled explosives while nearby businesses were temporarily evacuated as a precaution.

Staff Sgt. Dolamore said the investigation into the incident is ongoing, adding the circumstances behind the break-ins seem suspicious. The thieves may have been looking for the weapons, he said.

"When you go to that trouble to break into that many units, you've got to be looking for something," he said, adding that he wasn't aware of anything being stolen from any of the other affected lockers.

"Police tell me this was not penny-ante stuff," said local councillor Mike Del Grande after speaking to investigators yesterday.

"From what's been described to me, the amount of guns and firepower in there is significant. This is the kind of stuff that's on our streets. Some pretty powerful stuff is in there"

Exact numbers of contraband could not be confirmed until police had a judge issue a warrant to search the storage locker, but the weapons included handguns as well as automatic weapons and machine guns.

"They know what's there and they know there was a break and enter, but they have to get a search warrant to go in," Mr. Del Grande said.

Access Storage rents nearly 700 storage units and lockers for temporary storage, most of them 150 square feet.

For the most part, people store old furniture or belongings they have no room for at home, manager Michael Naoum said. "I'm shocked. Shocked that this stuff was being kept here," he said.