An undercover cop in New York City bought 217 assault weapons, tommy guns and handguns, dismantling a trafficking ring that exploited Virginia’s looser gun laws and sent sellers north on buses with bags full of weapons, prosecutors said Wednesday.
(FOX)-Traffickers were caught on wiretaps bragging about their ability to buy guns for resale, authorities said. They used code words like “chopper” and “joint” to peddle the weapons, investigators said. Ammunition was “food.”
“There’s no limit to how many guns I can go buy from the store,” suspect Antwan Walker is heard saying on a police wiretap. “I can go get 20 guns from the store tomorrow. I can do that Monday through Friday. … They might start looking at me, but in Virginia, our laws are so little, I can give guns away.”
Prosecutors said the guns were bought in many different Brooklyn neighborhoods and were sold for up to $1,200 for a handgun and up to $2,200 for a rifle. Prosecutors said it was the largest number of guns purchased in one operation in Brooklyn.