Mayor John Tory hopes judge 'throws the book' at American who smuggled firearms

Mayor John Tory says he hopes a judge "throws the book" at an American citizen who admitted to smuggling guns into Ontario in 2017, many of which were recovered at various crime scenes in the Greater Toronto Area and Middlesex County, including London.

"I hope he receives a lengthy criminal sentence in jail. That's what he deserves," Tory said in response to questions from reporters Tuesday. 

Randy Jackson pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice on Monday to four counts of trafficking weapons and told the judge he was remorseful. In a plea agreement, the crown and the defence asked that Jackson's sentence reflect all 67 weapons he trafficked in Canada.

Jackson is expected to be sentenced by Justice Riun Shandler on Friday.

"I mean this man ... never thought obviously about the mayhem that his criminal activities could cause in the city of Toronto," Tory said.

"And now he acknowledges that 67 guns later, and heaven knows how many deaths and injuries and traumatization of communities ... I hope the judge throws the book at him." 

Jackson, who lived in Lansing, Michigan, first caught the attention of Toronto Police in July 2017 when they traced a loaded Glock 19 9mm handgun to him during one of their investigations.

He had bought the gun and dozens of others from firearms dealers in Detroit, Port Huron and Ann Arbor, and then brought them over the border to sell in Ontario on the black market. According to the agreed statement, 32 of the 67 firearms Jackson smuggled into Canada were Glock handguns.

On several occasions, police noticed Jackson had purchased the guns on the same day he crossed the border.

According to the agreed statement, Toronto police uncovered a pattern to Jackson's smuggling after they learned he had a spouse and child in London, Ont. 

During the week, Jackson would work at a job in Michigan. On the weekends, he crossed the border using a Nexus pass — a voluntary program designed to speed up border crossings for low-risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States — and travelled to London to see his family.

To make the arrest, the Firearms Enforcement Unit of the Toronto Police asked the Canada Border Service Agency to stop Jackson the next time he attempted to cross the border from Port Huron, Mich.

On Oct. 12, 2017, the CBSA flagged Jackson for a secondary inspection when he tried to pass through the Nexus lane.

During a search at the border, CBSA officials found three firearms hidden in Jackson's pants.

Tory believes the justice system has to do more to stop people like Jackson from smuggling guns into Canada..

"I just think that right now we are not sending the message loudly and clearly enough that this is completely unacceptable criminal behaviour that is threatening the safety of a safe city, and so I hope this man gets a substantial sentence to jail," he told reporters.