In major gun news this week, New Jersey officials announced they had indicted 9 men on various weapons charges including the trafficking of illegal firearms into the state from Virginia. The investigation into the ring is said to have required the cooperation of the New Jersey state police, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and other law enforcement agencies both here in NJ and in Virginia.
The reported ringleader, a Trenton native, is said to be charged with leading a gun trafficking network and faces up to 20 years for that charge alone. The guns brought from the Eastern Short of Virginia are said to have been linked to several homicide investigations and narcotics crimes as well.
In addition, the indictments are said to cover one man charged with selling assault rifles to an undercover police officer and having other illegal weapons in his home. A local soldier is charged with unlawfully disposing of firearms and sending another gun from Texas to two codefendants in NJ.
According to the Pilot Online, a Virginia based paper, New Jersey officials are still looking for at least 3 of the suspects, believed to be in Virginia and wanted on various charges.
It would be a difficult argument for these men to claim they didn’t know what they were doing was against the law. The same can’t always be said for more minor firearm offenses. Because there are so many gun laws on the books, sometimes people do break the laws without even realizing it.
One of the more common New Jersey gun crimes involves unlawful possession of a weapon. This refers to being in possession of a weapon where you don’t have the proper permits or registrations. If it is a handgun, the charge is considered a 2nd degree crime and can carry up to 10 years in prison.
Whether the charges you face are considered minor or have the potential to be life altering, having a defense attorney on your side can make a world of difference. Contact our offices today for a consultation on your case.