Former Member of Parliament Inky Mark, who was previously arrested on twelve weapons charges, now faces an additional 26 charges as police discovered 445 firearms and 26.5 kilograms of explosives at his residence in Manitoba. The 78-year-old was rearrested on August 12 following an ongoing investigation by the RCMP.
In July, during a search at his home near Dauphin, Manitoba, Mark was initially charged with 12 weapons-related offenses, including firearms trafficking, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, unsafe firearms storage, careless use of a firearm, and possession of a prohibited device. Upon further investigation, police found a total of 445 firearms at his residence, with 295 stored unsafely, 10 prohibited, and 11 restricted or prohibited firearms not registered to Mark.
Additionally, authorities seized 26.5 kilograms of explosives, exceeding the legal possession limit by licensed individuals. The RCMP mentioned that some restricted or prohibited firearms were stored with readily available ammunition, and two firearms registered to Mark were unaccounted for.
The total charges against Mark now amount to 38, including offenses such as weapons trafficking, possession of prohibited firearms, possession of restricted firearms with ammunition, possession of unauthorized firearms, and possession of explosives exceeding legal limits. The explosives, primarily Tannerite, were found at his property.
Mark admitted to illegally transferring three guns but denied involvement in firearms trafficking. He claimed to have legally collected firearms since the 1970s, but some of his weapons are now illegal due to changes in gun laws over the years. In a separate incident, Mark allegedly provided a firearm and ammunition to an unlicensed individual, leading to a weapons trafficking charge.
An investigation revealed that Mark had visited a friend who posted about a coyote on social media and handed them a firearm and ammunition without authorization. The friend did not use the weapon, and it was later recovered by authorities. No charges were filed against the friend in connection with the incident.
Mark, a former Member of Parliament for the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa riding, served in various political parties before resigning in 2010. He unsuccessfully ran for re-election in 2015 as an independent after previously holding the position of mayor of Dauphin in 1994.
The RCMP continues to investigate the case, with Mark facing multiple serious charges related to firearms and explosives possession and trafficking.