A Quebec firearms company says an internal investigation has confirmed that its rifles were “fraudulent diverted” to Russia.
Cadex Defence said its “comprehensive” review found the shipments occurred without the corporate’s authorization or knowledge.
“Upon discovering this case, Cadex fully cooperated with the competent Canadian authorities liable for reviewing this matter,” it said.
“The corporate also strengthened its verification mechanisms, due diligence procedures, and control measures so as to further reduce the risks of fraudulent diversion throughout the international supply chain.”
The investigation was launched after Global News reported that Russian snipers were using Canadian-made Cadex rifles.
The precision firearms were also displayed at a Moscow gun show last October, and are on the market on the web site of a gun shop within the Russian capital.
While some shown on Russian social media channels appeared to have been captured from Ukrainian troops, others looked brand recent and still had product tags.
“Following the knowledge delivered to our attention on the time of the unique publication of the article, Cadex immediately launched a comprehensive internal investigation to trace the origin and movement of the firearms in query,” the corporate said.
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“This process confirmed that certain firearms manufactured by Cadex appear to have been fraudulently diverted from their intended destination before ending up in Russia, without the authorization, knowledge, or consent of Cadex.”
Sanctions imposed in response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine prohibit the export of weapons to Russia.
But American, European and Canadian firearms have still found their technique to Russia, allegedly through neighbouring countries, in accordance with Russian investigative journalists.
“Cadex wishes to reaffirm unequivocally that at no time has the corporate sold, exported, or authorized the transfer of its products to the Russian Federation, directly or not directly,” the corporate said in its statement.
The statement was a response to a Global News report this week that exposed Canadian intelligence officers had visited the corporate’s headquarters south of Montreal.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service met with Cadex Defence to transient the corporate on Russian procurement efforts, the corporate said.
“Cadex believes it has fully cooperated and communicated transparently with the relevant authorities,” the corporate said in its statement.
After Global News first reported on the difficulty last October, Foreign Minister Anita Anand told reporters she was looking into the matter.
The CSIS annual report released on May 1 said Russia was attempting to illicitly procure materials “to sustain its military-industrial complex and support its war against Ukraine.”
“Specifically, Russia sought to obtain Canadian technology, corresponding to microelectronics, satellite communication technology, and precision firearms.”
The report said CSIS was working with Canadian manufacturers “to discover how Canadian goods were being acquired and shipped to Russia.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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