89 guns seized in Liberty from men believed to be trying to smuggle weapons into Canada
State police arrested suspected gun smugglers in the tiny Catskills community of Liberty, prompting relief, yet some concern from many of the town's residents.
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State police arrested suspected gun smugglers in the tiny Catskills community of Liberty, prompting relief, yet some concern from many of the town's residents.
Three men are accused of trying to traffic 89 guns — 17 of which the FBI said are stolen — through New York State to Canada to illegally sell them, according to officials.
The complaint states that 22-year-old Malik Broomfield, of Canada, 25-year-old Faizan Ali, a U.S. resident from Pakistan and 22-year-old Kamal Salman, of the U.S., were not licensed to sell or transport firearms, though they had previously applied for such a license.
State troopers first pulled over the men's rented Ford Explorer Thursday for failure to maintain its proper lane and unsafe lane switching.
From the beginning, the men were suspicious, according to a narrative provided by the Office of the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Southern District.
While Ali and Salman told troopers they were coming from Florida, Bromfield said they began their trip in New York City and were heading to Syracuse.
According to the complaint, Ali was also found to have a foreign driver's license, which was concealed in his buttocks, with a different name on it.
After hearing "inconsistent and evasive" accounts from each man about where they were headed, and after using a police K-9 that may have detected a scent of narcotics, troopers searched the vehicle, uncovering a cache of guns packed into a suitcase, according to a criminal complaint.
Officials also say that two short-barreled rifles were found behind the passenger seat.
The details of the bust surprised downtown nail salon owner Rosa Chocho.
"You never know what's going to happen," she said, "what's going on outside, so it's not safe."
Investigators also said Ali was wanted in Canada on four outstanding warrants, including one warrant in connection to a fatal car crash and another in connection with the alleged trafficking of methamphetamine.
The GPS on Bromfield's mobile phone was routing the men to Hammond, New York, just across the St. Lawrence River from Ontario.
News of the bust gave pause to some local parents, who were glad the men did not escalate the situation into one that could have harmed people in the area.
"We normally don't have big crime things like this happening here," said Caroline Sylvester, who recently moved with her daughter to Liberty from Brooklyn, "so it was a shock to me to hear that many guns were found coming through this small town."
“These three defendants, including two foreign nationals, allegedly endangered our communities as they attempted to smuggle 89 firearms — 17 of which were stolen — into Canada,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said in a press release. “The FBI is committed to working with our federal and state law enforcement partners to take illegal guns off our streets.”
Charges against all three men include smuggling from the United States, transporting stolen firearms and unlawful possession of firearms.
Each of the federal offenses carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
Additionally, Bromfield is charged with being an alien in possession of firearms, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
