Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/M62
An AR-15 assault rifle, similar to the one that was confiscated as a result of the investigation.
By Forum Staff
A federal indictment was recently unsealed charging two men for their alleged roles in a gun-trafficking conspiracy involving the sale of nearly two-dozen firearms, including an AR-15 multi-caliber rifle, according to federal prosecutors.
Borough resident Derrick Hughes, 47, and Ronald Robinson, 43, of Virginia, were arraigned last Wednesday and ordered detained pending bail hearings.
According to the indictment, the operation involved at least seven illegal firearms transactions in New York between January 2018 and April 2018, with sales taking place in Rosedale and Valley Stream. Robinson allegedly purchased two to three firearms at a time in Virginia, and within days, transported them for distribution in the Empire State. Hughes then arranged meetings with customers for the illegal sale of the firearms.
“Many gangs rely on illegal weapons to carry out criminal acts because they’re harder to trace,” said FBI New York Assistant Director-in-Charge Bill Sweeney. “The two subjects in this investigation were allegedly trafficking illegal weapons along the 95 Interstate corridor that leads directly onto Long Island. We are doing more and more every day with our law enforcement partner agencies to stop this pipeline, and keep deadly weapons out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
If convicted, Hughes and Robinson face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
