Parents shocked after two Montreal-area daycare managers charged with smuggling ghost guns

Several parents say they were shocked to learn the managers of two Montreal-area daycares have been charged with smuggling ghost guns across the Canadian border.

Several parents say they were shocked to learn the managers of two Montreal-area daycares have been charged with smuggling ghost guns across the Canadian border.

Stacy St-Pierre, 42, and his spouse, 45-year-old Ruby Sharma, were arrested by the RCMP on July 14, 2023. They were released without charges "pending the completion of the investigation" and continued to manage two daycares in Vaudreuil and St-Lazare.

The couple was charged seven months later — last Friday — with possession for the purpose of weapons trafficking and importing or exporting unauthorized guns.

Police alleged they smuggled six ghost guns, which are typically made from assembled parts or 3D printers, making them difficult for police to trace.

According to an email obtained by CTV News, Quebec's families ministry asked the owner of Garderie Precious Cargo Inc. to do new background checks on the couple after the charges were laid.

Parents say they were stunned after reading about the charges and that they question the managers' judgment.

"When I found this out at first, it was so shocking that I thought it was artificial intelligence. I thought somebody had, you know, made a meme or something. I was completely gobsmacked. I couldn't believe what I was reading," one parent told CTV News in an interview. "Right away, I said to myself, 'I'm not taking my [child] back to that daycare and until I have more explanations.'"