What to Know
- The suspects are named in a 627-count indictment charging them with gun trafficking, among other crimes
- More than 200 guns were taken off the streets as a result of the investigation, including several handguns and assault rifles
- Officials are calling it the biggest gun bust in Brooklyn history
Two dozen suspects have been indicted in what prosecutors are calling the "biggest gun bust in Brooklyn history," authorities said Wednesday.
The 24 suspects, most of whom are Virginia residents, are charged with gun trafficking and other crimes in a sweeping 627-count indictment, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill and Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a joint news briefing.
One suspect was from Brooklyn, and another from the District of Columbia. They are charged in an indictment alleging a conspiracy to bring up to a dozen guns illegally into New York City at a time, sometimes traveling on the bus with the weapons.
More than 200 illegal firearms were recovered, including AK-47s, AR-15s and MAC-10s. Officials said they also recovered glocks with extended ammunition magazines, 50 round ammunition drums and several handguns of various calibers.
The suspects' ages range from 20 to 30, and authorities say many of the suspects are associated with Bloods gangs in Virginia and Brooklyn. One arm of the criminal organization allegedly operated in the Henrico and Richmond counties, while the other branch operated in Hampton and Newport News.
Traffickers were heard on wiretaps brazenly bragging about their ability buy guns for resale. They used code words like "chopper" and "joint" to peddle the weapons. Ammunition was "food."
"By removing each of these guns from the streets we have prevented numerous crimes," Gonzalez said. "We are going to go after anyone who brings illegal firearms into our city and into our borough."
Between June 2016 and February 2017, the suspects allegedly conspired to sell guns purchased in Virginia to a purchaser in Brooklyn. Authorities say other defendants who were legally able to buy guns puchased the firearms with the intent to illegally resell them.
Local
Sales took place in several Brooklyn neighborhoods including Boerum Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene and Sunset Park, according to the investigation. On average, puchasers allegedly paid between $800 and $1,200 for each hand gun and around $1,800 to $2,200 for assault rifles.
The case is being proscuted by the District Attorney's Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.
