The Boring Company’s ‘Not-a-Flamethrower’ seized in drug bust

While executing a search warrant, members of the Ontario London Police Service (LPS) Gang Unit discovered a Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower kit.

The Boring Company (TBC) device was listed as a flamethrower among the seized items, which included a .22 calibre rifle, a “prohibited” knife, 910 grams of cocaine, and 7 kilograms of Phenacetin. Justin Tyrone Faraj, 31, and Natalia Ramirez, 32, were jointly charged with Criminal Code, and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act offenses after the search.

The offenses included unauthorized “possession of a prohibited device or ammunition” and possession of a “firearm other than restricted or prohibited firearm knowingly not holding a license.”

LONDON, ON (March 9, 2021) – On March 5, 2021, members of our LPS Street Gang Unit, with the assistance of members of our Emergency Response Unit, executed search warrants at addresses in the 600-block of Fieldgate Circle and the 300-block of Marconi Gate. https://t.co/TVQKLJxMUR pic.twitter.com/jCTcOyPPfJ

— London Police Service ON (@lpsmediaoffice) March 9, 2021

The investigation’s report was shared on Twitter by the London Police Service. A few people wondered if owning The Boring Company’s Not-a-Flamethrower was legal. Elon Musk’s Not-a-Flamethrowers is technically legal in Canada, according to criminal lawyer Fady Mansour of Ottawa-based firm Edelson & Friedman LLP, who told Global News in 2018.

“You’re prohibited from possessing certain class of firearms, and firearms are defined in the Criminal Code and other places as something that has a barrel and discharges a projectile,” explained Mansour. “This has a barrel but does not have a projectile, it doesn’t have a bullet of any sort that actually comes out of the barrel.”

TBC’s gadget isn’t a flamethrower, despite the fact that it looks like one. The device was mistakenly listed as a flamethrower in the case of Faraj and Ramirez.

The Not-a-Flamethrower from The Boring Company appears to be operating in a legal gray area, particularly given how often it is mistaken for a real flamethrower. Mansour went on to say that the police might not be informed that flamethrowers are legal in Canada, which may lead to arrests and charges that will have to be cleared later.

When TBC’s unit is used, the distinctions between it and real flamethrowers become more evident. Elon Musk’s Not-a-Flamethrower has been dubbed a glorified lighter in the past due to its lack of ferocity as opposed to a real flamethrower.

Watch the video below to see The Boring Company’s Not-a-Flamethrower versus actual flamethrowers.