Source: Government of Canada News
Petrolia, Ontario
OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau | Canada Border Services Agency
April 8, 2025
An individual is facing 24 charges under the Criminal Code (CC) and the Customs Act (CA) after a package was intercepted containing seven prohibited weapons.
On February 27, 2025, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted a package destined for a location in Petrolia. The package contained seven prohibited weapons. The CBSA’s Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team (OFSET) engaged Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) members assigned to the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) for further investigation.
On March 19, 2025, a warrant was executed by members from BEST, OPP-led Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit, CBSA-OFSET and Lambton County OPP Community Street Crime Unit at a residence in Petrolia. As a result, investigators seized:
- Brass knuckles
- Two automatic opening knives
- A brass knuckle knife
- A centrifugal opening knife with a thumb stud
- A conducted energy weapon
- Three butterfly knives
Phillip GRENDEL, age 32 of Petrolia, has been charged with the following offences contrary to the CC and CA:
- Attempt to possess a prohibited weapon – seven counts
- Possession of a prohibited weapon – two counts
- Import a prohibited weapon knowing it’s unauthorized – seven counts
- Unauthorized importation of a prohibited weapon – seven counts
- Smuggling prohibited goods into Canada
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sarnia on April 16, 2025.
If you have any information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.