4 people charged with conspiring to traffic over 50 firearms throughout Brooklyn

Police say shootings at the Brookline and Bayview Houses kicked off the investigation. In 2020, both housing complexes saw over 100 shots fired.

News 12 Staff

Jan 11, 2023, 10:47 PM

Updated 694 days ago

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Law enforcement officials say that four people were charged on Wednesday with conspiring to traffic more than 50 firearms throughout Brooklyn.  
Police say shootings at the Brookline and Bayview Houses kicked off this investigation. In 2020, both housing complexes saw over 100 shots fired.  
Officials allege that the four people charged were also trafficking fentanyl and cocaine. The NYPD Chief of Detectives says one of the guns seized was used in six separate incidents, including a shooting in August of 2021 where eight people were shot in Bed-Stuy.  
The four defendants allegedly sold the firearms and drugs to an undercover officer on multiple occasions. The undercover officer had evidence from his interactions with the defendants including video and audio recordings.   
Law enforcement officials say that some of the guns were from ghost gun kits, while others had defaced or removed serial numbers.  
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the eastern district of New York,  says this is the first time that arrests were made under the Federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, stating that the penalties could more than triple the defendant’s jail time.  
Multiple agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and police from other states aided in the investigation.