Over 100 firearms were acquired over the course of the seven month investigation.
Photo by Iryna Shkurhan
A seven-month investigation into an interstate gun trafficking ring spanning from Cincinnati to an Astoria parking lot resulted in the seizure of over 100 guns and the indictment of three individuals.
Over the course of five meetups with an undercover police officer at the P.C. Richard & Son parking lot on Steinway Street in Astoria this summer, the defendants sold a total of 97 firearms, including 17 assault weapons. The purchases by the plainclothes cop totaled $124,000 at approximately $1,200 per gun.
“Guns and the recovery of weapons on the streets of Queens are a priority for this office and the NYPD,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz at a Nov. 6 press conference, where the firearms were on display. “We are fighting the gun plague with all our might and resources, on the streets and in the courts.”
The three defendants, who are cousins and hail from Ghana – Ahmed “Taju” Mutalib, Abdul Haruna and Murtala Haruna – were indicted on 575 counts by a grand jury. Their charges include criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon, conspiracy and money laundering.
The NYPD and the DA’s office received a confidential tip informing them of the gun trafficking ring in March 2023. After gathering intelligence and completing an initial investigation, they appointed an undercover police officer to begin acquiring the firearms.
The identity of the officer remains confidential to protect his safety.
In one undercover stint on June 27, Mutalib sold 16 semi-automatic pistols, three rifles, one shotgun and 900 rounds of ammunition to the undercover officer. Less than two weeks later on Aug. 8, Abdul Haruna accepted $4,000 from the officer as an upfront payment for additional firearms that were sold during ensuing meetups, according to the Queens DA’s office.
Over the course of the…
Read the full article here
