An Oliver man was convicted by a jury Monday of smuggling two handguns across the border.

Alex Louie, also known as Senk’lip, was found guilty of nine counts at the Penticton courthouse in connection to an incident on Feb. 1, 2017 at the Osoyoos border crossing. Guards caught him with a pair of CF380 Hi Point handguns wrapped in plastic bags and wired to the bottom of his vehicle.

During the trial last week, the court heard the border guards had received a tip that day that led them to search every vehicle that came through the crossing. An initial search turned up a handgun magazine in the trunk of the car and trigger locks under the dash, which led to a more thorough search.

Louie — who was self represented — attempted to argue that because of the lack of treaty between his First Nation and the Crown, the court held no jurisdiction over him and he should have been allowed free passage through the border.

Source: Pix by ODN, files from Castanet