Mounties alarmed by military arms cache

NANAIMO, British Columbia, April 9 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police expressed concern over the nature of heavy weapons they seized in a Vancouver Island raid.

Early Wednesday, RCMP officers stormed a large property with numerous buildings on it near Nanaimo and arrested four men and a woman after finding more than 1 pound of cocaine, at least $50,000 in cash and a total of 41 weapons, the Times Colonist newspaper in Victoria reported.

Constable Gary O'Brien said two automatic assault rifles, hand grenades, blasting caps and detonator cords were found but most worrisome was a .50-caliber machine gun, The Globe and Mail reported.

"It's an extremely deadly weapon," he said. "Any time you come across a property where there's that amount of explosives, drugs and weapons, especially a .50-caliber, organized crime is something you look at. It's a huge concern."

Two teenagers were also present during the raid but weren't charged and were placed in provincial care, the reports said.