Grande Prairie Woman Arrested for Firearms Straw Purchasing

Grande Prairie… An ALERT investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Grande Prairie woman for [alert-tooltip title=”More and more, ALERT investigators are finding firearms when they investigate organized crime groups who are involved in drug trafficking. Click to find out more.”]firearms[/alert-tooltip] straw purchasing.

ALERT’s Grande Prairie [alert-tooltip title=”ALERT has organized crime teams based in seven cities across Alberta. Click for more info.”]organized crime and gang team[/alert-tooltip] alleges that Misty Kohuch lawfully acquired multiple handguns, which were then sold on the criminal market. The 37-year-old woman was arrested on October 1, 2019, with the help of Grande Prairie RCMP.

Kohuch purchased five handguns since July 2019, including one on the morning of the date of her arrest. ALERT had concerns the recently purchased handgun would be re-sold, and arrested Kohuch while she was still in possession of the firearm.

Kohuch was arrested via a traffic stop. [alert-tooltip title=”Cocaine is a powerful, addictive drug derived from the leaves of coca plants, which are native to parts of South America. Click for more info.”]Cocaine[/alert-tooltip] and [alert-tooltip title=”Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is much more powerful than many others in the opioid family, including heroin, morphine and codeine. Click for more info.”]fentanyl[/alert-tooltip] were also found in her vehicle.

“None of the other handguns have been accounted for, and who is in possession of those handguns should prompt concern from the community,” said Insp. Sean Boser, ALERT Regional teams.

Kohuch has been charged with:

• trafficking a firearm;
• possession of firearm for the purpose of trafficking;
• unauthorized possession of a firearm;
• careless storage of a firearm;
• unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle;
• unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowing the possession is unauthorized;
• possession of drugs; and
• possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

The investigation began in July 2019 after the RCMP’s National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) provided information about suspicious firearms purchases.

Straw purchasing typically involves someone with a valid Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) but no criminal record obtaining firearms for someone who otherwise could not, or who does not want their name associated with the transaction.

Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.

[alert-tooltip title=”More than 300 municipal police and RCMP officers work together in teams at ALERT to investigate everything from drug trafficking to child exploitation to gang violence. Click for more info.”]ALERT[/alert-tooltip] was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.