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Gun And Drug Trafficking Org. Operated Throughout Greater Philly: Montco DA
Seven people are accused in connection with an alleged gun and drug trafficking scheme across the Philadelphia area, prosecutors say.
Six Philadelphians and one Norristown man are charged with corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and multiple related counts, said the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office on Monday:
Scott Grondin, 42
Anthony Figueroa-Marko, 34
Bella Kenna, 21
Felicia McKinnel, 28
Emanuel Torres, 32
Christopher McNelly, 26
Asad Sayed, 27
Montgomery County District Attorney's Office
From January 2023 to February 2024, authorities said Figue…
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 …
Trio Used Soldier's Stolen ID To Buy Guns Illegally: Montco DA
Three men are charged in connection with a scheme to use a US soldier's stolen identity to buy guns illegally, according to authorities.
Taalibudeen “Taalib” Ibn Hasdn Anderson, 22, and Tariq Anderson, 23, both of Philadelphia, and Daijon Griffin, 21, of Wilmington, Delaware, are each in police custody, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office.
It began in Apil, prosecutors said, when an active duty Army serviceman visited his mother in Philly while on leave, the DA's Office said.
The soldier lost both his Pennsylvania driver's license and his U…
Philly Gun Traffickers Were Active Across Sepa, Authorities Claim
A group of eight suspected Philadelphia gun traffickers accused of putting nearly 100 firearms on the streets now faces criminal charges, officials say.
The crew, allegedly headed by 40-year-old Larry Williams, bought guns from legal vendors through straw purchases before reselling the firearms on the black market for a profit, said acting Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry in a statement.
State investigators say the guns were purchased in Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and York counties and trafficked throughout Southeast…
Reading Police Arrest 3 In Gun Trafficking Sting, Officials Say
Three adults are in custody and multiple weapons were seized following a gun trafficking sting in Berks County, according to authorities.
Reading police executed two search warrants at homes on the 500 block of South 18th Street and the 1500 block of North 14th Street on Wednesday, Nov. 16, as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal gun running, the department said in a release.
Two men and a woman, all Reading residents, were charged in connection with the bust, officials said.
Eliam Torres-Villanueva, 21, left, and Vincent Campbell, 18, right, were arrested in Reading in conn…
Bucks County Gun Trafficker Learns His Fate
A convicted gun trafficker in Bucks County will spend five to 10 years in state prison, authorities announced.
Bashir T. Shakir, 25, of Yeadon, was convicted of twelve felonies connected to straw purchases of firearms that were later uncovered in criminal investigations across the mid-Atlantic, said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub in a statement Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The investigation began in December 2020, when two guns Shakir purchased turned up on the streets of Philadelphia, the DA said. Another turned up in Wilmington, Delaware and a fourth in Millville, New …
Ex-Philly Corrections Officer Straw Purchased, Resold Firearms On Social Media, DA Says
A former Philadelphia corrections officer was arrested for straw purchasing and illegally reselling five firearms — two of which have been recovered by police, authorities said.
Amanda Barr, 37, of Trevose, was investigated after two of the guns she bought were discovered in the possession of felons – people who are not legally allowed to buy or carry a firearm, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.
Barr bought seven firearms from Dec. 16, 2018, to March 23, 2019, the DA said. Investigators say someone buying that many guns within a 98-day period is a common i…
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…
3 Arrested For Gun Trafficking Across Greater Philadelphia Region: DA
Three men were charged in connection with a gun trafficking ring that operated across several counties in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2020, authorities announced Monday.
Tyrone Dansby, 24, and an 18-year-old charged with juvenile conduct, both of Philadelphia, are accused of conspiring to buy 69 firearms in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, and Lehigh counties with the intent of re-selling them without serial numbers, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Justice Matthew P. Varisco.
Additionally, Quam…
DA: 5 People Arrested For MontCo, Philly, Berks, Lancaster County Gun Trafficking Ring
Five Pennsylvanians were arrested for operating a straw purchase gun trafficking ring in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Berks, and Lancaster counties, authorities said Friday.
Daveese Smith, 21, of Norristown; Darell Smith, 25, of Philadelphia; Maliqa Jack, 25 of Pottstown; Donaya Williams, 22, of Philadelphia; and Tanisha Allen (AKA Tanisha Smith), 42, of Norristown are accused of illegally obtaining and reselling 14 firearms, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Some of the suspects were arrested and charged in February when DA Kevin Steele initially announced th…
AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation
Four Philadelphia men were arrested following a Morgantown gun show investigation that uncovered a ghost gun trafficking operation, authorities announced.
Authorities seized five fully assembled ghost guns, four 80% receiver kits, one 80% receiver, one Smith and Wesson revolver, extended magazines, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Ghost guns typically start as “80% receivers” that are often sold in kits without background checks. They can be easily and quickly put together, lack serial numbers so they cannot be traced, and, once full…
DA: Two PA Men Arrested For Selling Heroin, Fentanyl, Ghost Guns In Philadelphia
Two men were arrested Friday for charges related to their drug and gun trafficking operation in which they sold counterfeit Oxycodone pills — made of heroin and fentanyl — as well as ghost guns and stolen firearms in Philadelphia, state authorities announced.
John To, 36, and Andy Nguyen, 23, were apprehended following an investigation by the 44th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Agents executed a search warrant on To’s home, who now resides in Montgomery County, and found approximately $60,000 in cash, one pound of a methamphetamine-like …
