Seven Philly residents indicted in connection with trafficking ring that brought 400 illegal guns to the city

Federal law enforcement officials announced charges against 14 people Monday in connection with two separate gun trafficking rings that brought about 400 guns to Philadelphia from Georgia and South Carolina.

Some of these guns were used in shootings and dozens are believed to still be on Philly streets, said Matt Varisco, who leads the Philly branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“Firearms trafficking is not just a victimless crime, it is illegal and puts firearms in the hands of prohibited persons and violent criminals,” he said.

Varisco said some of the guns were bought in straw purchases, with defendants claiming the weapons would be for personal use but then selling the firearms to those who can’t legally possess them.

U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said weapons have made it from states such as Georgia and Florida into the Northeast through what’s called the “iron pipeline,” which uses I-95 and other highways. Williams said these illegal purchases are a “known driver of violent crime.”

According to officials, the trafficking ring in Georgia was led by Fredrick Norman, 25. A group of 11 people coordinated the purchase and delivery of an estimated 300 firearms over six months and subsequently brought them into Philadelphia in exchange for an estimated $116,000.

The South Carolina ring involved Muhammed Ware, a 26-year-old from Myrtle Beach, accused of coordinating with two Philly residents to deliver more than 100 firearms to Philly.

Officials said the rings took guns from the legal market and transferred them into the illegal market.

Five Philadelphians and one woman from Shippensburg have been indicted in connection with the Georgia ring, and two Philly residents have been indicted in the South Carolina ring.

Three of the Philadelphia defendants — Kenneth Burgos, 23; Roger Millington, 25; and Jabreel Vaughn, 20 — remain at large, said Williams.

All defendants have been charged with conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and for making false statements to a federally licensed firearm dealer. They could each face up to five or 10 years in prison if convicted.

The investigations were part of the Department of Justice initiative Project Safe Neighborhoods, which launched a new violent crime reduction strategy last May as major U.S. cities saw surges in shootings.

“If you participate in illegal firearms trafficking to Philadelphia, we will find you, we will pursue a federal investigation and prosecution, and you will go to prison for a very long time,” said Williams.

Williams’ message echoes DOJ efforts to prioritize the prosecution of straw purchasers and illegal gun traffickers.