A gun-trafficking group that brought in guns to New York was busted by the NYPD following long months of operation. A couple from New Jersey was arrested along with their 3 other accomplices in Virginia and another from Georgia.
As reported New York Times, the NYPD closed down a group that operated by buying guns from other states and selling them illegally in the city. Police took Abdul Davis, 52, into their custody after selling a total of 82 firearms to an undercover police.
The firearms sold consisted of 67 pistols, two shotguns, five assault weapons and eight revolvers. The operation to track down Davis took months and the transaction took place in a park near West 166th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan.
Aside from Davis, his girlfriend named Shelita Funderberk who works a senior payroll clerk at the East Jersey State Prison was also captured as she was found to have played a substantial role in the operation. "We have her present during certain gun buys. She's an active participant," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said, as reported by New York Post.
The couple was also joined by three of their other members in Virginia, and another from Georgia, whose names were revealed as Trenton Pointer, Daemon Jenkins, Malik Rainey, and Milton Tillery. The suspects were not able to give their comment as they are in the custody of Union County, N.J.
Moreover, according to New York Daily News, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. sought for lawmakers to create a gun kingpin statute that will elevate the punishment for gun traffickers who sold more than 20 guns illegally.
Such law would make the offense as a class A-1 felony charge that could constitute maximum penalty of life imprisonment. It would alter the current law that puts the gun-traffickers in danger of five to 25 years in prison regardless of whether they sell 10 or thousands of guns. Meanwhile, Davis, Funderberk, and the rest of the suspects are yet to be arraigned for their case and are still to get legal help.
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