By IVAN MORROBEL
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez and New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison announced on Thursday the indictment of four men, including an MTA subway conductor, for running a gun trafficking ring.
Montoun Hart, of Brownsville, Brooklyn, Ira Jones, of South Boston, Virginia, Vernal Douglas, of Flatlands, Brooklyn, and Christopher Hodges, of Walterboro, South Carolina, were all charged with first, second and third-degree criminal sale of a firearm and other offenses.
“Today, we are announcing a 139-count indictment,”said Gonzalez. ” Charging four men for running guns from South Carolina and Virginia and bringing those guns directly into Brownsville.”
According to Gonzalez , a member of the Brownsville community gave police a tip that Hart was an illegal gun merchant in the neighborhood.
The police sprang into action in an investigation that led to undercover officers buying firearms from Hart. However, as the investigation progressed, police said that Douglas, an MTA employee, was one of the suppliers.
“Shockingly, one of those men had a really good job,” said Gonzalez, referring to Douglas.
Text messages and telephone conversations were obtained by the police and used as evidence against the defendants.
Jones, Hart, and Douglas were in police custody, though Hodges was on the run.
“I encourage him to surrender himself,” said the DA. “He knows that the police are looking for him.”
The sting garnered 44 firearms.
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