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Gun Trafficking

Police & Fire
Feds Charge NJ, PA Firearm Companies With Illegally Storing, Selling Ghost Guns Feds Charge NJ, PA Firearm Companies With Illegally Storing, Selling Ghost Guns
Feds Charge NJ, PA Firearm Companies With Illegally Storing, Selling Ghost Guns Three New Jersey and Pennsylvania-based firearms dealers and vendors are being charged with civil complaints for failing to comply with New Jersey’s firearms public nuisance law, federal officials announced. The charges come against FSS Armory, a New Jersey licensed gun dealer, and two Pennsylvania-based gun companies, Patriot Enterprises Worldwide LLC, a gun show company known more commonly as Eagle Shows, and Not An LLC, a ghost gun products vendor doing business as JSD Supply, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Tuesday, Dec. 12. FSS Armory, in Pine Brook, stored …

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by Valerie Musson
News
23,000 Fentanyl Doses, 30 Homemade Guns Seized In NJ Latin Kings Takedown: Feds 23,000 Fentanyl Doses, 30 Homemade Guns Seized In NJ Latin Kings Takedown: Feds
23,000 Fentanyl Doses, 30 Homemade Guns Seized In NJ Latin Kings Takedown: Feds More than 23,000 doses of fentanyl, nearly 30 homemade firearms and a host of parts designed to create fully-automatic machine guns were seized in the takedown of a drug and gun trafficking network run by New Jersey members of the Latin Kings, federal authorities announced. Nine reputed members of the ring were charged with a variety of drug and weapon offenses that include creating and selling private-made firearms (PMFs), more commonly known as “ghost guns," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. PMFs were actually being made on 3D printers at the moment law enforcers raided one of sever…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG
Paterson Gangsters Acted As Middlemen In Gun Trafficking Ring That Brought Firearms To NJ: AG Nine members of a Paterson gun trafficking ring were among 15 people indicted on various charges for their roles in bringing more than 120 firearms from South Carolina to New Jersey, state officials announced. The investigation dismantled the criminal enterprise, took 12 guns off the street — including an assault rifle – and led to charges against the alleged leader of the trafficking ring, Travis Thomas, 41, of South Carolina, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Five of his gun suppliers in South Carolina, and nine “middlemen” who allegedly helped broker the sale of guns in…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison
Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison A convicted "ghost gun" trafficker from Hasbrouck Heights must spend at least 3½ plea-bargained years in state prison before he'll be eligible for parole. Michael Maresca, 34, has been held in the Bergen County Jail since investigators arrested him in November 2020 outside the Macarthur Avenue home he grew up in for trafficking the untraceable guns in and around Paterson. Maresca, who operated an aquarium installation and maintenance company, had sold two “ghost guns” for $1,650 each to an undercover investigator at the residence, they said. One of them had an illegal 15-round magazine loa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: NJ Man Admits He Ran Guns From Georgia With Online Dating Match Feds: NJ Man Admits He Ran Guns From Georgia With Online Dating Match
Feds: NJ Man Admits He Ran Guns From Georgia With Online Dating Match An ex-con from New Jersey most likely didn't list "gun running" among his hobbies when he made an online love connection with a Southern woman. It'll be quite some time before Dylan Ianncelli, 28, of Gloucester County dates again -- either online or off -- after admitting in federal court on Wednesday, March 9, that he and his Georgia peach trafficked nearly a dozen firearms into New Jersey. Ianncelli went down to Georgia after meeting Jessy Hill, who authorities said bought 11 guns from a licensed dealer on Aug. 12, 2021. Hill "falsely indicated during the purchase that she was the actual…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Confessed Jersey Shore Gun Trafficker Headed To Federal Prison Confessed Jersey Shore Gun Trafficker Headed To Federal Prison
Confessed Jersey Shore Gun Trafficker Headed To Federal Prison A Monmouth County ex-con must serve a full five-year sentence in federal prison for trafficking guns from Florida to the Jersey Shore. As part of a gun-running network, Javier "Broly" Rodriguez-Valpais, 33, Morganville sold a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle to a co-defendant -- who, in turn, sold it to an FBI cooperator, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Rather than face trial, Rodriguez-Valpais took a deal from the government, pleading guilty earlier to gun-trafficking conspiracy and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He must serve just about all o…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea
Feds: Defendant In Florida-to-Jersey Shore Gun Running Ring Takes Plea A fourth defendant admitted Friday that he was part of a ring that sold guns trafficked from Florida to the Jersey Shore to buyers working for the FBI. Enrique Quijada, 24, of Freehold told a federal judge in Trenton via videoconference on Friday that he worked with ringleader Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL his brother, Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria of Freehold and two others. The crew sold handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, among other weapons, to what turned out to be FBI operatives in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. De…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges
NJ, PA Trio Trafficked Dozens Of 'Ghost Guns,' Indictment Charges Two Philadelphia men and one from Camden trafficked no fewer than two dozen untraceable “ghost guns” from Pennsylvania into New Jersey, a grand jury indictment alleges. Even more guns, as well as parts, large-capacity magazine and ammo, were seized during the investigation, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Tuesday. According to the indictment returned in Trenton, Eduardo T. Lazo Jr., 26, of Camden, organized the operation and sold the illegal guns in Camden. Juan Enrique Fernandez, 29, and Ericknell Rivera-Mercado, 31, both of Philadelphia, are accused of bringing th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges
Armed Robber From Trenton Who Was Shot By Undercover Fed Hit With Heavier Charges An armed robber from Trenton thought he’d found an easy victim in a would-be gun buyer – only it turned out to be an undercover agent who shot him instead, authorities said. Members of a federally-led task force were investigating gun trafficking and other crimes when Jabree Johnson, 28, got into the undercover agent’s car at the Krauszer’s on Greenwood Avenue in Hamilton Township on March 22, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Johnson handed over a semi-automatic handgun that the agent inspected before returning it and asking to see others, Honig said Friday. At that point, Johns…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large
FBI Smashes Jersey Shore Gun-Running Ring: Fugitive Brothers Still At Large A Monmouth County man and his brother were being sought by federal authorities who charged them and three other people with running guns from Florida to the Jersey Shore. Fugitives Waldin “Manin” Espinosa-Ozoria, 31, of Freehold and Manuel “Chino” Espinosa-Ozoria, 30, of Bartow, FL are charged with conspiring to illegally sell firearms, including handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Arrested on similar charges were Enrique “El Enano 13” Quijada, 23, also of Freehold, Javier “Broly” Rodriguez-Valpais, 31, of Morganville, and Jacquelyn Dejesus, 41, also of …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Convicted Murderer From Trenton Admits Selling Gun, Extended Mag To Informant Convicted Murderer From Trenton Admits Selling Gun, Extended Mag To Informant
Convicted Murderer From Trenton Admits Selling Gun, Extended Mag To Informant A convicted murderer from Trenton admitted in federal court in Newark on Thursday that he sold an illegal semi-automatic rifle and an extended magazine to a buyer who turned out to be a law enforcement cooperator. Edwin Gaines, 59, was among dozens of suspects busted in a state takedown of gun- and drug-running gang members last year. The former Jersey City ex-con sold a .22-caliber Ruger rifle and the magazine to a buyer using money provided by law enforcement "in a video- and audio-recorded transaction in the basement of a Trenton residence," U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Gain…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Feds: Out-Of-State Ex-Con Ran Guns Used In Jersey City Crimes Feds: Out-Of-State Ex-Con Ran Guns Used In Jersey City Crimes
Feds: Out-Of-State Ex-Con Ran Guns Used In Jersey City Crimes ATF agents busted a convicted felon who they said trafficked guns to Jersey City that were used in crimes, including at least one shooting. A federal judge in Georgia ordered Jonathan Brown, 26, held Wednesday pending a detention hearing this Friday after special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested him on gun trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said. As an ex-con with several previous convictions, Brown, of Covington, GA, couldn’t buy the firearms himself, so he used straw purchasers in and around Georgia, then trafficked …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
VIDEO (WATCH): Multi-Agency Initiative Smashes NJ-PA Gun-Running Ring, 36 Weapons Seized VIDEO (WATCH): Multi-Agency Initiative Smashes NJ-PA Gun-Running Ring, 36 Weapons Seized
Video (Watch): Multi-Agency Initiative Smashes Nj-pa Gun-Running Ring, 36 Weapons Seized A rifle that fired the bullet that killed a 2-year-old girl being held by her mother was among more than 36 firearms and over a pound of meth that was seized in a joint takedown of a major gun trafficking ring operating in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, authorities announced Monday. The attorneys general’s offices in both states worked in tandem with NJ State Police, Philadelphia police and the FBI, DEA and ATF in “Operation Zombie,” which produced the arrests of five alleged ring members from Philadelphia who authorities said brought guns and meth into Camden. A semi-automatic rifle that th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Former U.S. Navy Member Gets 18 Months In Federal Prison For Trafficking Guns Into NJ Former U.S. Navy Member Gets 18 Months In Federal Prison For Trafficking Guns Into NJ
Former U.S. Navy Member Gets 18 Months In Federal Prison For Trafficking Guns Into NJ A former active-duty member of the U.S. Navy was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for illegally trafficking guns to a New Jersey couple – including one that ended up being fired on the street hours later. Tesora Amanda Cortes Trejorojas, 24, admitted in federal court in Newark last February that she bought the semi-automatic weapons at a store near her Norfolk, VA home for Azia Sinclair and Shyheim “Shy” Tyson of Newark. She entered the plea in exchange for the more lenient sentence -- all of which she must serve because there's no parole in the federal prison system. The so…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown
Growing Threat: NJ Authorities Discover Untraceable ‘Ghost Guns’ In Major Drug Takedown State authorities working a drug investigation seized a half-dozen “ghost gun” assault rifles, along with parts for two more, while arresting a dozen men who they said trafficked weapons and drugs. Concern has been growing among law enforcement nationwide as more criminals assemble do-it-yourself “ghost guns” with a variety of machinery, including 3-D printers, from online mail-order kits. The results are unregistered weapons that don’t have serial numbers, making them impossible to trace, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Monday. “Assault rifles like these pose an especially deadly t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Grewal On Assault Weapon Smugglers: 'Iron Pipeline' Has To Stop Grewal On Assault Weapon Smugglers: 'Iron Pipeline' Has To Stop
Grewal On Assault Weapon Smugglers: 'Iron Pipeline' Has To Stop "To reduce gun violence in our communities and to reduce the threat to our communities, and to reduce the threat to our law enforcement officers from assault rifles and other illegal firearms, we need to stop the flow of illegal guns into our state," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Friday. "New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in this country. You can’t just walk into a store here, present your driver’s license, and walk out with multiple guns, including assault rifles," Grewal said in announcing indictments against seven purported members of a C…

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by Jerry DeMarco