[NYP] NYPD cops busted five men and seized 182 handguns in an illegal gun-trafficking ring that ran weapons from Tennessee to sell on the streets of Queens, officials said Thursday.
The men exploited the lax gun laws in Tennessee and used the infamous "gun show loophole" to funnel the weapons through the so-called Iron Pipeline into New York, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said at a news conference.
The members of the ring were hit with a 1,611-count indictment with charges including criminal sale of a weapon and criminal possession of a weapon in an investigation cops nicknamed "Operation Hot Cakes," Katz said.
"Illegal gun traffickers who flood our neighborhoods with dangerous firearms put every resident of our borough at grave risk," the DA said in a statement. "We have seen far too many instances of guns, purchased down South and trafficked into New York that are then recovered at devastating crime scenes, leaving bloodshed and tragedy on our streets." |