Pinned by undercover agents: he operated an arms business out of his garage

A man from the Portneuf region who operated an underground firearms sales business from his home was sentenced Friday to four years in detention. It was a sale made to two undercover agents that led to his downfall.

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Louis Tessier was arrested in November 2022 following an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec which culminated in an infiltration operation.

Two agents went to the man’s home in Saint-Marc-des-Carrières to buy weapons.

“They mentioned wanting weapons that would ensure that they would not be found, not traceable,” explained Judge Steve Magnan on Friday. “Two types of weapons are offered to them, one with restricted authorization and the other prohibited.”

Probably wanting to offer unparalleled customer service to his two clients, Tessier went so far as to offer them the opportunity to test the merchandise before purchasing. The man therefore accompanied the two agents to a field and made them shoot the two weapons chosen.

Thirty weapons

A warrant was obtained the same day and the police searched the residence of Louis Tessier, as well as a second home in Saint-Thuribe.

In total, 33 firearms, magazines and thousands of various ammunition were seized, the SQ explained at the end of the operation. Accounting statements from the “company” and even professional cards found in the house reinforced the police’s hypothesis.

“Monsieur justified himself by saying that it was to accommodate hunters, but we must admit that the day before, with the undercover agents, it was not people who wanted to hunt,” explained the prosecutor of the crown, Me Matthieu Rochette, recalling that the two false clients insisted that the weapons were not traceable, implying that they could be used for illicit acts.

Common suggestion

The sentence of four years of detention stems from a common suggestion of the parties. The public prosecutor explained that the individual’s lack of history in similar matters as well as his collaboration during the investigation had led to this agreement.

Judge Steve Magnan endorsed the proposal, but reminded Louis Tessier of the seriousness of his actions.

“Fortunately, this time, these weapons did not end up in the hands of people who could have misused them to commit a crime. But you could not ignore the risk of it ending up in the hands of criminals,” underlined the magistrate.

As he has been detained since his arrest, which adds up to a pre-trial detention of two years and ten days, the accused has a little less than two years of detention remaining to serve.