Former Manitoba lawmaker charged after RCMP seize 439 firearms

RCMP seized 439 firearms, an antique cannon, ammunition and more than $300,000 in cash from Inky Mark’s home near Dauphin during a July 7 search, then charged the former Manitoba lawmaker with a dozen weapons-related offences, including firearms trafficking.

Police arrested Mark, 78, at the property during the search and later released him with conditions. He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 11, while investigators continue documenting the evidence they say could take several weeks to sort through.

Manitoba RCMP said at least three of the firearms were allegedly illegally trafficked, one had a tampered serial number and hundreds were improperly stored. The allegations have not been tested in court. Investigators have also said the case may generate more charges as the examination of the seized weapons continues.

The scale of the seizure has sharpened questions about how a cache of this size could accumulate around a man with a long public profile in the Dauphin area. Mark represented Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2010, serving under the Reform Party, the Canadian Alliance and later the Conservatives. He was also mayor of Dauphin from 1994 to 1997 and ran unsuccessfully for his old seat in 2015 as an independent.

Police said the investigation began in late March, after a 73-year-old Dauphin-area man faced firearms charges in the United States. That case led investigators to identify a second suspect and eventually carry out the warrant at Mark’s home. The sequence points to a cross-border trail that Manitoba RCMP now says exposed broader trafficking concerns.

Officials have described the alleged trafficking of prohibited weapons as a serious public-safety issue, warning that illegal firearms can fuel violence and organized crime. The seizure of hundreds of guns, plus currency and an antique cannon, suggests a case that goes beyond simple possession and raises hard questions about storage, movement and oversight of firearms inside and across the border. Manitoba RCMP said the evidence haul remains under review as the criminal case moves back into court next month.