Florida Trucker Sentenced for Smuggling Guns Used in Canadian Crimes, Including Killings A former Florida trucker, Erhan John Er, has received a prison sentence exceeding four years for his role in a cross-border gun trafficking ring. Weapons he illegally imported into Canada were found at ten crime scenes, including those linked to homicides, highlighting the severe impact of illegal firearms. A Florida man, Erhan John Er, has been sentenced to over four years in a U.S. federal prison for his role in a significant cross-border firearms trafficking operation. Court documents obtained by CBC News reveal a sophisticated pipeline responsible for moving handguns from the United States into Canada, where they were subsequently discovered at ten separate crime scenes across Ontario and Quebec. These illegal firearms have been linked to at least two homicides, underscoring the deadly consequences of Er's activities. The scheme involved purchasing firearms legally in the U.S. and then transporting them as far as 2,000 kilometers north to be sold to a Canadian distributor. The price for each weapon included its retail cost plus an additional $1,000 fee. This case is not an anomaly; Toronto police reported that a staggering 86 percent of crime guns seized in the city and traced to date originated from the U.S. Er, a 35-year-old former trucker with prior ties to Toronto, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms and received his sentence in U.S. District Court in Tampa. Prosecutors detailed how, during the summer of 2022, Er acquired 28 firearms from U.S. dealers and illegally transported them across the border for sale to his as-yet-unidentified Canadian associate. Federal documents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) indicate that Er deliberately misled gun dealers, falsely asserting he was the legitimate purchaser on federal forms. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe stated that Er intentionally misrepresented his intentions to acquire firearms, ultimately for smuggling into Canada to be used in criminal activities. The recovered weapons, purchased by Er, were found at crime scenes spanning Ontario, including Thunder Bay, York, Durham, and Halton regions surrounding Toronto. Among the grim discoveries were a Glock 45 seized by Quebec provincial police during a homicide investigation in May 2023, and a Glock 49 recovered by Hamilton police on June 30, 2024, in connection with the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Tobenna Obiaga. Obiaga, a father of two with another child on the way, succumbed to his injuries after an early morning disturbance at a house party. Astonishingly, a Glock 27 purchased by Er in Naples, Florida, reappeared 799 days later, discovered by Toronto police investigating a dangerous high-profile gunfight. This incident, which occurred on November 11, 2024, following a birthday party where firearms were openly displayed on social media, was described by investigators as a near-miracle, given the potential for widespread casualties. A common and critical characteristic of all firearms seized in connection with Er's case was the obliteration of their serial numbers. It was only through diligent efforts by authorities to restore these numbers that the weapons could be traced back to Er, who, according to court documents, had previously resided in Toronto. ATF Special Agent Joshua Dominguez highlighted that obliterating serial numbers is a common tactic employed by individuals seeking to evade law enforcement detection, often achieved through grinding, scraping, or drilling. During their investigation, federal agents also seized a grinder power tool and a handwritten ledger from a storage unit associated with Er in Sarasota, Florida. This ledger contained a notable entry: '$16,412 Cdn payout' at the bottom, suggesting a detailed record of his illicit transactions and the financial scale of his operation.