Coquitlam man hit with gun charges after anti-gang agency probe

A Coquitlam man is facing several firearms charges after B.C.'s anti-gang agency found guns at his property earlier this month. Photo by Diane Crocker /Handout

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A Coquitlam man is facing several firearms charges after B.C.’s anti-gang agency alleges it found guns at his property earlier this month.

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The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit announced Friday that Saadiq Azimali Daya, 35, had been charged with two counts of possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm at a location other than one authorized, and two counts of improper storage of a firearm.

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The investigation, done in conjunction with the Surrey RCMP’s provincial operations support unit, began in June, Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha said in a news release.

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Search were done in Surrey and Coquitlam on July 16. Daya was arrested at the Coquitlam property, where investigators seized multiple firearms including a Beretta 92FS .22 and a Beretta M9A3 9 millimetre.

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He remains in custody until his next court appearance on Aug. 10.

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Daya had already been charged with other firearms offences at the time of his arrest.

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Coquitlam businessman Saadiq Daya is facing gun charges after an investigation by the anti-gang agency. Photo by Instgram /Instagram

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According to the online court database, he was charged with six counts in May 2025 — some in connection with illegal firearms that he allegedly possessed in Coquitlam on Dec. 1, 2022. His co-accused in that case is Joseph Eigo, born in 1980.

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Daya describes himself on social media as a “millennial entrepreneur” who “loves cars and the different passions that drive people.”

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On his Instagram account, Daya has posted regular videos attacking religions and government.

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“What’s crazy is again, it’s another action with no justification,” Daya said. “There’s clearly no link between all their gun laws and the gun crime.

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“If a few years ago they did a bunch of gun bans and gun crime has gone up since then, it’s clear that these laws are having no impact. So really, we should step back and look. ‘Why are they doing this?’ It’s to disarm the public, and at this point … it’s getting so frustrating because every few weeks or every week, there’s new laws that don’t make sense.”

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B.C.’s corporate registry shows Daya owning a company called VanGo Vapes, which he started in May 2014. He recently posted on VanGo’s website that he “moved our manufacturing to Seattle due to the insane excise taxes in Canada.”

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“However, we still are offered in Canada at many fine retailers, and online,” he said.

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On his LinkedIn page, Daya also says he has two other businesses — TinHat Supplies Ltd. and Jvnction Enterprises Ltd.

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An investor in TinHat Supplies filed a small claims lawsuit against Daya the day after his July 16 arrest. The investor claimed he paid Daya $50,000 in 2022 for shares in the military surplus store Daya operated in New Westminster at the time. The investor claimed Daya put the money in his personal accounts and never paid a promised monthly dividend. The lawsuit says Daya claimed the business had gone bankrupt and was dissolved in January 2026.

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None of the allegations have been proven in court.

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