Former Member of Parliament Inky Mark, who faced a dozen weapons charges last month, now confronts an additional 26 charges following the discovery of 445 firearms and 26.5 kilograms of explosives at his residence in Manitoba. The 78-year-old was reapprehended on August 12 as part of an ongoing investigation by the RCMP.
Mark was initially taken into custody during a search of his home near Dauphin, Manitoba, on July 7. He was charged with 12 offenses related to weapons, 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 analyzing the seized evidence from July, the RCMP revealed that 445 firearms had been confiscated from Mark’s property. Among these, 295 were found to be inadequately stored, 10 were prohibited, and 11 were restricted or prohibited firearms not registered to Mark. Additionally, authorities uncovered 26.5 kilograms of explosives, exceeding the legal possession limit for licensed individuals.
The recent charges against Mark include weapons trafficking, multiple counts of possessing prohibited and restricted firearms with ammunition, unauthorized possession of firearms, possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number, failure to report firearm loss, and exceeding the legal limit of explosives possession.
The explosives primarily consisted of Tannerite, an explosive target brand used for firearms training. Possessing over six kilograms of such reactive targets is against the law. Mark admitted to illegally transferring three firearms but denied engaging in trafficking activities.
Mark, a former Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, first elected in 1997 and resigned in 2010, had $300,000 seized during the initial search, which he claimed was proceeds from property sales in Dauphin, not related to firearms trafficking. The RCMP alleged a separate incident where Mark provided a firearm to an unlicensed individual, resulting in a weapons trafficking charge.
Mark’s political background includes serving with the Reform party, Canadian Alliance, and Conservatives, with an unsuccessful independent bid in 2015. Prior to his parliamentary career, he was elected as Dauphin’s mayor in 1994, attempting a failed reelection in 2010.
