Winnipeg Mounties Recover Officer’s Stolen Handgun, Arrest Suspect

Winnipeg Mounties Recover Officer’s Stolen Handgun, Arrest Suspect
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) crest is seen on a member's uniform in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 24, 2019. Shannon VanRaes/File Photo via Reuters
Marnie Cathcart
Updated:

The RCMP in Manitoba has recovered an RCMP-issued handgun that was stolen from a safe at the home of an RCMP officer in 2019.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP said in a March 23 news release that they executed a search warrant in response to a report of a male in possible possession of a firearm at a local hotel.

The town of Lac du Bonnet is located one hour from Winnipeg.

On March 20 at 11:15 a.m. local time, the RCMP arrested a 35-year-old male who was allegedly found in possession of a semi-automatic handgun.

The RCMP has charged a local man, Cody Tronrud, with possession of weapons contrary to a court order, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of a weapon obtained by crime, unsafe storage of a firearm, and two counts of failure to comply with a release order.

According to officers, the suspect had an outstanding arrest warrant for aggravated assault, uttering threats, and failing to attend court. He was remanded into custody.

The RCMP has determined the firearm seized was reported stolen from the home of an RCMP officer who lived in Winnipeg in 2019.

“The firearm was a RCMP-issued firearm that had been stolen from a safe in the officer’s residence. The break and enter is a Winnipeg Police Service investigation,” said the RCMP.

In 2019, the Winnipeg Police said they were investigating the theft of a gun and a taser, stolen during a break-in that occurred in the city in mid-August. An RCMP officer had reported that his X26 Taser, a type of stun gun, and his service gun, a Smith & Wesson 5906 handgun with an RCMP emblem, were stolen from a safe during a break-and-enter at his residence.

According to police, the stolen firearm had a trigger lock on it and was stored unloaded. No ammunition was stolen, but numerous other items were reported stolen.

In 2009, CTV News reported that police had arrested 14 people—including a suspect named Cody Tronrud, then aged 22—and laid more than 100 charges following organized crime raids.

At the time, police said they had raided a series of residences in and around Winnipeg, targeting alleged drug-trafficking cells with connections to Asian-organized crime. Officers reportedly seized more than $100,00 worth of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, and morphine, and said the drug network had been moving millions of dollars in illegal drugs around Winnipeg.

Police have not indicated if the man arrested on March 20 is the same Cody Tronrud arrested in 2009 on other criminal charges.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.