A Canadian firearms company says the guns were ‘fraudulently diverted’ from Russia
A Quebec firearms company says an internal investigation has confirmed its guns were “counterfeit” from Russia.
Cadex Defense said its “comprehensive” review found the deployment occurred without the company’s authorization or knowledge.
“Upon receiving this situation, Cadex fully cooperated with the Canadian authorities responsible for reviewing this matter,” said the statement.
“The company has also strengthened its verification methods, due diligence processes, and control mechanisms to further reduce the risk of fraudulent diversion within the international supply chain.”
The investigation was launched after Global News reported that Russian hackers were using Canadian-made Cadex rifles.
The precision rifles were also on display at the Moscow gun show last October, and are being sold on the website of a gun store in the Russian capital.
While some shown on Russian social media channels appear to have been taken from the Ukrainian army, others appear to be new and still have brand tags.
“After the information brought to our attention when this article was released, Cadex immediately began a thorough internal investigation to determine the origin and movement of the firearms in question,” said the company.
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“This process confirmed that certain firearms manufactured by Cadex appear to have been fraudulently diverted to their destination before ending up in Russia, without the authorization, knowledge, or consent of Cadex.”
Sanctions imposed as a result of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine prohibit arms exports to Russia.
But American, European and Canadian guns have still arrived in Russia, which are said to be passing through neighboring countries, according to Russian journalists.
“Cadex wishes to confirm unequivocally that the company has not sold, exported, or authorized the transfer of its products to the Russian Federation, directly or indirectly,” the company said in its statement.
This statement was in response to a Global News report this week that revealed that Canadian intelligence officials visited the company’s headquarters south of Montreal.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service met with Cadex Defense to inform the company of Russian procurement efforts, the company said.
“Cadex believes it has fully cooperated and communicated transparently with the relevant authorities,” the company said in a statement.
After Global News first reported on the matter last October, Foreign Minister Anita Anand told reporters that she was looking into the matter.
CSIS’s annual report released on May 1 said Russia was trying to illegally buy construction materials “to support its military and industrial complex and to support its war with Ukraine.”
“Specifically, Russia wanted to buy Canadian technology, such as microelectronics, satellite communications technology, and precision weapons.”
The report said CSIS was working with Canadian manufacturers “to identify how Canadian goods were being sourced and shipped to Russia.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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