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By Susan McNeil

Gun trafficking

Lloydminster man gets three years for selling handguns illegally

Jun 20, 2024 | 4:00 PM

A Lloydminster man will spend three years in jail for selling a handgun that ended up being used in an Edmonton homicide, a North Battleford Court of King’s Bench judge has ruled.

Brett Wangler, age 32, first came to the attention of RCMP in Lloydminster after Calgary Police contacted them about a Heckler & Koch SFP9 handgun that was used in several crimes in Alberta.

The gun registered to Wangler was used in Edmonton in 2017 to murder Mahamoud Nur behind a nightclub on Jasper Avenue. Bullets from the scene were later matched to the Heckler & Koch registered to Wangler.

Two years later, Oliver Kenge was arrested in Calgary for drug trafficking and police found the same gun inside his backpack.

The serial number had been removed but was later restored and confirmed to be Wangler’s gun.

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Police searched Wangler’s residence in Lloydminster and found two rifles and a shotgun in a locked gun safe, stored according to law.

A .22 rifle was found in the attached garage as was a modified shotgun, which was illegal.

Police did not find any handguns despite Wangler being the registered owner of four Tokarev TT33 handguns, the Heckler & Koch SFP9, a Baby Desert Eagle and a Glock 21.

Wangler originally told police that all his restricted handguns had been stolen from his garage and he was afraid to report the theft because he hadn’t been storing them properly.

During questioning however, he admitted he had sold the H & K, the Desert Eagle, the Glock and a Tokarev to someone he barely knew because he wanted the money.

He had no idea what the person did with the guns after that though.

Wangler had been convinced to buy the guns for the person and admitted he didn’t think at the time that the name they gave was genuine.

Under questioning, he also said he didn’t need the money, but he had “a rubber arm” and was easily convinced.

He said he gave three of the Tokarev’s as gifts to his father, an uncle and a friend, however despite police searching, none of the guns have been recovered other than the one used in Alberta.

The minimum punishment for trafficking in restricted weapons is three years and can reach up to 10 years imprisonment.

The North Battleford judge that sentenced Wangler believed his expression of remorse but also noted he didn’t think his offence was that great.

In a pre-sentence report, Wangler told the report author that he felt he was a victim and that three years was unfair for ‘people like him’. He did not believe he should be treated like an actual criminal despite committing an actual crime.

The judge said that Wangler knew selling the guns the way he did was illegal and that there was a distinct possibility they would end up being used by criminals.

The judge also pointed to the fact that the buyer of the guns wasn’t authorized to possess guns but still had Wangler buy specific guns for him while assuring him that the serial numbers would be removed.

Another aggravating factor was that the three guns Wangler claimed were given to others have not been found and can be assumed to probably also being used to commit crimes.

In his defence were the fact that it was his first offence and other than that, he has led a productive live and has a good common-law relationship and a young daughter along with extensive community support.

—

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com