‘Operation Powder Burn’: 20 Caught In Largest Gun Bust In Orange County History, DA Says
A massive, eight-month investigation into an illegal gun and drug trafficking ring operating out of Orange County has resulted in the arrest of 20 people and the recovery of more than 55 firearms, hundreds of grams of drugs, and over $65,000 in cash, prosecutors announced.
Dubbed “Operation Powder Burn,” the coordinated effort spanned multiple states and involved local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, making it the largest gun trafficking case in Orange County history, District Attorney David M. Hoovler said in an announcement on Friday, Aug. 1.
The investigation re…
$22.5M Gold Heist Suspect Caught By PSP Chambersburg Smuggling 65 Guns Into Canada: DOJ
A man wanted in one of the biggest gold thefts in Canadian history has admitted in U.S. court to smuggling dozens of guns—including fully automatic machine pistols—back into Canada, federal prosecutors say.
Durante King-Mclean, 26, of Cambridge, Ontario, pleaded guilty in Harrisburg on Tuesday, May 14, to conspiracy to traffic firearms after a Pennsylvania traffic stop exposed a shocking weapons pipeline stretching from Florida to the Canadian border.
He had 65 handguns crammed into the trunk of a rental car, each one hidden inside a sock, authorities said.
Among them were stolen weapons, …
67 Pounds Of Weed Seized As Reading Man Busted For Firearm Trafficking At JFK: DA
A man accused of fueling gun violence through illegal firearm sales was caught smuggling 67 pounds of marijuana at JFK Airport, authorities announced on Monday, March 17.
Ian Diaz-Reales, 27, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was arrested on March 2 while attempting to board an outbound flight with the massive drug stash, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. Diaz-Reales had already been wanted for allegedly purchasing multiple firearms and illegally funneling them to criminals involved in drug trafficking, gang activity, and violence, authorities said.
The Berks County Gun Viol…
Lower Merion Murder Suspects Ran Sophisticated Gun Trafficking Ring Using 3-D Printers: DA
Eight suspects, including three Philadelphia-area men charged with murder, are accused of running a 3D-printed gun trafficking ring connected to a fatal shooting on Meredith Road in the Wynnewood section of Lower Merion Township, authorities said.
The December 9, 2024, killing was just one piece of a sprawling illegal firearms operation carried out by Charles Fulforth, 41, of Jenkintown; Kelvin Roberts, 42, of Philadelphia; Jeremy Fuentes, 26, of Philadelphia; Aaron Hiller, 24; Marcus Lee Jackson, 33; Jonathan Rodriguez, 26; Corry K. Simpson, 38; and Frances Staten, 38, according to Montgome…
Manhunt Ends! Third Murder Suspect Arrested 1 Month After Lower Merion Home Invasion
A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the deadly Lower Merion home invasion that left one man dead and his mother critically injured, Montgomery County officials announced Friday, Jan. 24.
Jeremy Fuentes, 26, of Philadelphia, is charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and conspiracy to commit burglary for his alleged role in the Dec. 8, 2024, attack that killed 25-year-old Andrew Gaudio and severely injured his mother, 61-year-old Bernadette Gaudio.
Prosecutors allege Fuentes, an employee of Junkluggers, provided key information about the Gaudios' h…
Ghost Gun Manufacturer, Trafficker Arrested In Upper Pottsgrove: Authorities (Photos)
A ghost gun manufacturer and trafficker based in Montgomery County was arrested, according to authorities.
Tahmeir Wilson, 24, of Upper Pottsgrove, is facing charges after police found two fully completed ghost guns and multiple gun parts in his home, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said in a Wednesday, Nov. 20 news release.
Investigators also found three drum magazines, multiple other magazines, numerous personally manufactured firearm lower pieces, and tools needed to privately manufacture firearms, the news release states.
Wilson had established "a highly sophisticated,…
Four Jersey Shore Men Charged After Selling Ghost Guns To FBI Informant: Feds
Four Ocean County men were accused of using a 3D printer to sell ghost guns to an FBI informant, authorities said.
The men facing charges in the case are James Hyres, 38, of Toms River; Dennis McMickle, 35, of Brick Township; James Opalenik, 51, of Ocean Gate; and Edward Trost III, 36, of Toms River. New Jersey's U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced the charges in a news release on Monday, July 29.
According to the criminal complaint, the four men were part of a gun-trafficking conspiracy throughout Ocean County in April and May 2024. Hyres created the ghost guns by using seve…
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…
Former Couple Who Trafficked Guns Used For Criminal Activity In DMV Get Prison Time
The former couple who trafficked dozens of guns throughout the DMV region will spend years in prison, according to federal officials.
Gregory Bournes Jr., 31, of Lancaster, Virginia, and Georgia resident Dream Jackson, 30, were both sentenced in Washington, DC for bringing guns to the area that were used for criminal activity, including an attempted murder in Maryland.
According to court documents, between February 2021 and February 2022, Bournes and Jackson - who were in a romantic relationship at the time - conspired to purchase guns legally from dealers in Georgia and Texas that were the…
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 …
Multi-Agency Probe Results In Seizure Of AR-15 Variants, Other Weapons, CT State Police Say
Connecticut State Police, along with multiple police agencies, seized numerous handguns and assault rifles illegally sold as part of an investigation into gun trafficking.
According to police, officers served warrants on Tuesday, March 22, in New Haven County in Waterbury and Wolcott, and Fairfield County in Shelton.
During the searches, police seized AR-15 rifles, handguns, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition, as well as a number of narcotics and other contraband, state police said.
Hartford County resident Bryan Joyce, age 36, of Southington, was arrested and charged with numerous gu…
