Police lay 32 charges in firearms investigation

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Police lay 32 charges in firearms investigation

On Feb. 24, 2024, in the area of Fort Road and 137 Avenue, police stopped a speeding red Mercedes that had reportedly just been involved in a home invasion.

Police arrested two of the vehicle's four occupants, Brayan Montilla Villota, 30, and KevinValera Valest, 22, and located two spent 9 mm ammunition casings. The Mercedes was then seized to obtain a search warrant.

Later that same day, police were called to the scene of a drive-by shooting after a bullet hole was located at a residence in the area of 45 Street and 149 Avenue, not far from where the vehicle involved in the home invasion had been stopped. Security video confirmed the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting, a red Mercedes, matched the vehicle seized earlier that day. Police also located another 9 mm casing at the scene of the drive-by shooting.

Investigators later determined the drive-by shooting to be random; the accused individuals had no connection to the residence that was shot.

EPS Firearms Investigation Unit (FIU) took over the investigation and executed search warrants on the Mercedes, locating a loaded Glock 9 mm restricted handgun with a defaced serial number.

Glock restricted handgun recovered from Mercedes

The firearm was processed by the EPS Firearms Examination Unit (FEU), and was found to have been smuggled into Canada from the United States. Through the use of Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) testing, it was determined that spent casings recovered from the scene of the shooting and inside the Mercedes were a match to the Glock that was recovered from the Mercedes.

On Mar. 30, 2024, police responded to a report of an unknown male in a red Mercedes waving a firearm around in the Allard Neighborhood in southwest Edmonton. The suspect was arrested and identified as Montilla Villota, who had been released on bail shortly after the previous arrest in February.

While police were clearing the suspect's vehicle, they observed a loaded Glock handgun with a defaced serial number, as well as a spent casing. This firearm was also processed by FEU and was found to have been smuggled into Canada from the United States.

Additional loaded Glock recovered in Allard incident

On Aug. 7, 2024, Firearms Investigation Unit members executed warrants for two residences and three vehicles in Edmonton and Calgary, resulting in the seizure of over $6,500 in currency, approximately 55 grams of cocaine, 7 grams of fentanyl, electronic devices, and several types of ammunition.

As a result of the home invasion, weapons incidents, and search warrants, Brayan Montilla Villota, 30, KevinValera Valest, 22, Ana Gomez Jimenez, 25, and Tatiana Calderon, 22, are collectively facing 32 firearms and drug-related charges.