A 54-year-old Burnaby man accused of smuggling Tasers into Canada made his first appearance in Vancouver provincial court last week.
Ali Pouroskoui (a.k.a. Ali Dehghan) was charged in May with one count of smuggling goods into Canada between June 21 and Oct. 13, 2022 and one count of selling smuggled goods.
Both charges relate to three Tasers, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, which investigated Pouroskoui.
Pouroskoui has also been charged with unauthorized possession of a semi-automatic rifle and possession of several prohibited weapons and devices, including a Taser, a "push dagger," an overcapacity magazine and 30 centre-fire cartridges, according to the agency.
Identifying and stopping the illegal movement of such "high-risk commodities" is a CBSA "enforcement priority," the agency said in an email to the NOW.
CBSA screens all goods entering Canada, including international mail shipments, to make sure they are properly declared and meet import requirements, according to the agency.
"Border services officers are highly trained in examination and investigative techniques to analyze risk and intercept prohibited goods from entering Canada," stated the email.
"The firearm and weapons in this case were intercepted and seized by the CBSA from international mail shipments arriving in Canada, which resulted in the CBSA Pacific Region opening an investigation that culminated in criminal charges."
Pouroskoui's first court date was last Thursday.
He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
His next court date is set for July 18.
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