HUNTER: Cops thwart Pakistani man, others allegedly smuggling guns into Canada
· Toronto Sun
There were enough weapons to start a small war – and maybe that was the point.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York announced late Friday that they had smashed a massive gun smuggling ring allegedly intending to get the weapons into Canada.
According to the feds, on May 7, the New York State Police initiated a traffic stop of a white Ford Explorer after observing the vehicle commit numerous traffic violations while driving on State Route 90.
Bogus passport hidden in buttocks
Inside the vehicle were Malik Bromfield, Faizan Ali and Kamal Salman. Troopers claim the trio gave “inconsistent and evasive accounts” to the officers. Ali consented to a roadside search of his person.
Officers allegedly recovered a Pakistani National Driving Permit issued to an Afghan national in another name concealed in Ali’s buttocks. A canine unit also allegedly detected the “potential presence of narcotics.”
But the bigger haul was an “unusually heavy suitcase,” allegedly packed to the eyeballs with a large cache of firearms. More weapons were allegedly discovered hidden under the backseat of the vehicle.
It’s alleged there were 89 firearms in total – including at least 17 stolen guns.
The alleged gameplan: Smuggle the guns onto the streets of Canada or some other nefarious venture.
“As alleged, Malik Bromfield, Faizan Ali, and Kamal Salman were caught transporting more than 80 guns, including short-barrelled rifles and stolen firearms, to smuggle them out of the country,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.
Citizen of Pakistan
“It is critically important to New Yorkers and Americans to keep illegal weapons out of the hands of criminal actors,“ he said. “The trafficking of dangerous weapons will be relentlessly pursued by this Office.”
Assistant FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. added: “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.”
The trio appeared in White Plains federal court in Westchester County north of the Big Apple and are being detained.
Face 10 years in prison
Ali, 25, is a citizen of Pakistan and it’s unclear what exactly he was doing in the U.S. and Canada.
Bromfield and Salman, both 22, are citizens of Canada. In addition, Salman is a citizen of the U.S. and Jordan.
They are all charged with one count of smuggling from the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of unlicensed dealing in firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of transporting stolen firearms in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of unlawful possession of firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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No bail for trio
Bromfield is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
“Illegal firearms trafficking threatens the safety of our communities and fuels violent crime,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo said. “ATF New York’s Hudson Valley personnel were proud to assist the FBI-led investigation alongside the New York State Police to help prevent dozens of firearms, including stolen weapons, from reaching the streets.”
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarlitto is in charge of the prosecution.
Gun smugglers are frequently nabbed in rural New York State after transporting the weapons along the clandestine Iron Highway route bringing firearms north and into Canada from more gun-friendly states in the South.