Two Alberta men charged after Hay River RCMP seize prohibited weapons

January 20, 2026 - Hay River, Northwest Territories
From: Northwest Territories RCMP

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Two people are in custody as a result of a Hay River RCMP investigation that resulted in the seizure of a prohibited firearm and other weapons.

On January 16th at approximately 9:23 p.m. Hay River RCMP received a report of an abandoned vehicle on Highway 1 north of the Alberta Border. Further information was received that two suspicious men wearing ski-masks had returned to the vehicle shortly after.

Officers located the vehicle driving on Highway 2 some time later and conducted a traffic stop. The licence plate attached to the vehicle was reported stolen in Alberta and both occupants, who provided false names to police, were subsequently arrested.

A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up a loaded pistol and prohibited magazine, a prohibited rifle, assorted ammunition, a quantity of unstamped cigarettes and a smoke grenade, which is a prohibited device.

21-year-old Sabian Voyager of Alberta faces 20 charges, including numerous firearms offences, obstruction of a peace officer, failures to comply with release order conditions and other charges.

40-year-old Aaron Auigbelle of Alberta, who was subject to four separate weapons prohibition orders at the time of his arrest, faces a total of 42 charges, including numerous firearms and weapons offences, failures to comply with weapons prohibition orders, obstruction of a peace officer and other offences.

Both men have appeared in court and have been remanded into custody, next appearing in Justice of the Peace court in Yellowknife on January 20th at 9:30 a.m.

This matter is believed to be related to the illicit drug trade in Hay River and remains under investigation at this time.

This matter came about as a result of a diligent member of the public reporting suspicious activity to the RCMP, resulting in police removing dangerous weapons and individuals from the community. This incident highlights the importance of the public working hand-in-hand with the police to combat illicit activity in our Northern communities. The Hay River RCMP continues to be grateful to the residents of Hay River for their partnership on this front.