3 arrested after police find improvised bomb, loaded shotgun in Nanaimo vehicle

Nanaimo RCMP say three people were arrested on Saturday after a slew of weapons was found inside their vehicle.
The arrests occurred near the intersection of Bowen Road and Meredith Road in the early hours of Jan. 22.
Mounties were on patrol when they spotted the vehicle, an older model Ford Focus, which did not have valid insurance.
Police approached the vehicle and found three people inside, as well as loaded firearms and an improvised explosive device.
Mounties say there was a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, an improvised 12-gauge "zip-gun" that was also loaded, a prohibited stun-gun flashlight – and other items, such as a stolen insurance decal, drugs, and several hundred dollars in cash in the vehicle.
Police say the explosive was brought to a nearby field, under recommendation by the RCMP explosives disposal unit (EDU), until the EDU could arrive and safely destroy it.
Two people from Nanaimo, a 23-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, were arrested at the scene as well as a 31-year-old man from Vernon, B.C.
The investigation is ongoing and police are still reviewing potential charges.
"This is an excellent example of General Duty Officers in Nanaimo conducting a thorough investigation of a suspicious vehicle that went from a straight forward charge under the Motor Vehicle Act charge for no insurance, to apprehending three persons and getting several extremely dangerous weapons off the streets," said Const. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a release Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Putin's invasion of Ukraine an 'act of madness': former U.K. PM Blair says
The United Kingdom's former prime minister Tony Blair says Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is an 'act of madness.'

Officials confirm 10 cases of acute severe hepatitis in children in Canada
Ten children in Canada were found to be suffering from acute severe hepatitis not caused by known hepatitis viruses over a nearly six-month period recently, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Friday.
In biggest victory yet, Russia claims to capture Mariupol
In what would be its biggest victory yet in the war with Ukraine, Russia claimed to have captured Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin, with over 20,000 civilians feared dead.
Trudeau says government will do 'everything we can' to avoid U.S.-style formula shortage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempted to reassure parents on Friday amid a nationwide shortage of baby formula designed specifically for infants with food allergies.
Rise of new opioid highlights unpredictable drug supply: expert
A national substance use research organization is warning about a new type of opioid that is increasingly being found in Canada's unregulated drug supply.
Price of gas remains high across Canada heading into long weekend
Canadians may find a lot of long faces at the pump heading into the long weekend as gas prices across the country remain high.
'Hurts like hell': What goes into the price of gas in Canada
With the price of gas rising above $2 per litre and setting new records in Canada this year, CTVNews.ca looks at what goes into the price per litre of gasoline and where the situation could go from here.
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in Europe
The World Health Organization was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, after more than 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.