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Gun Trafficking

Gun Trafficking Group Operated In Pottstown, Boyertown: Prosecutors Gun Trafficking Group Operated In Pottstown, Boyertown: Prosecutors
Gun Trafficking Group Operated In Pottstown, Boyertown: Prosecutors Nine members of a suspected gun trafficking organization are in police custody, said the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office in a release on Tuesday, July 30.  The group, which operated out of its alleged members' homes and storage units in Pottstown and Boyertown, "specialized in the acquisition and distribution of illegal firearms," prosecutors said.  The investigation began in February, when suspected member James Hiller showed up at Pottstown Hospital with a stab wound, according to authorities. He told investigators he was stabbed in an argument over mariju…
2 Cumberland County Men Indicted For Gun, Drug Trafficking: USDOJ 2 Cumberland County Men Indicted For Gun, Drug Trafficking: USDOJ
2 Cumberland County Men Indicted For Gun, Drug Trafficking: Usdoj Two Cumberland County men have been indicted on drug and gun trafficking charges, the Middlesex Township Police Department on Tuesday, May 7.  William L. Nalley Jr., 27 of Boiling Springs; and Rafael Orihuela, 22 of Carlisle, were indicted by a federal grand jury "on charges related to the distribution of controlled substances and unlawful possession of firearms," the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Wednesday, May 1.  United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam explained the following about the case: "The indictment alleges tha…
Gun And Drug Trafficking Org. Operated Throughout Greater Philly: Montco DA Gun And Drug Trafficking Org. Operated Throughout Greater Philly: Montco DA
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 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 …
Trio Used Soldier's Stolen ID To Buy Guns Illegally: Montco DA Trio Used Soldier's Stolen ID To Buy Guns Illegally: Montco DA
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…
Bucks Straw Purchaser Had Been Putting Guns On Streets For Years: DA Bucks Straw Purchaser Had Been Putting Guns On Streets For Years: DA
Bucks Straw Purchaser Had Been Putting Guns On Streets For Years: DA A Bucks County man had been making straw purchases of firearms before illegally reselling the guns on the streets for over a decade, authorities say.  Frederick Cornelius Brown Jr., 63, of Croydon, was convicted in a Bucks County court on 34 counts of illegal firearm transferring and knowingly falsifying documents, said state Attorney General Michelle Henry in a release.  As far back as 2011, Henry said Brown purchased as many as 17 guns which he then illegally transferred to others. Not a single one of the weapons had been reported missing, stolen, or legally transferred to anoth…
Philly Gun Traffickers Were Active Across SEPA, Authorities Claim Philly Gun Traffickers Were Active Across SEPA, Authorities Claim
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…
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…
Reading Police Arrest 3 In Gun Trafficking Sting, Officials Say Reading Police Arrest 3 In Gun Trafficking Sting, Officials Say
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 Bucks County Gun Trafficker Learns His Fate
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 Ex-Philly Corrections Officer Straw Purchased, Resold Firearms On Social Media, DA Says
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
3 Arrested For Gun Trafficking Across Greater Philadelphia Region: DA 3 Arrested For Gun Trafficking Across Greater Philadelphia Region: DA
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 DA: 5 People Arrested For MontCo, Philly, Berks, Lancaster County Gun Trafficking Ring
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…
Philadelphia Felon Sentenced To 14 Years Behind Bars For Gun Trafficking 3 Weeks After Sister Philadelphia Felon Sentenced To 14 Years Behind Bars For Gun Trafficking 3 Weeks After Sister
Philadelphia Felon Sentenced To 14 Years Behind Bars For Gun Trafficking 3 Weeks After Sister A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms as part of his family’s gun trafficking "business," authorities announced. Mario Ramirez, 33, was sentenced on multiple gun trafficking charges three weeks after his sister, Elena Ramirez was sentenced to three years in prison for the same crime, according to Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. Ramirez was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms in January 2019 when authorities recovered four of his guns that he had stored in his mother’s Philadelp…
AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation
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…