U.S. law enforcement charges 13 in connection with gun trafficking into Canada
Authorities say 51 firearms were traced to violent crimes in Canada after a multi-agency investigation into straw purchases and cross-border trafficking.
- On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Erin Creegan announced 13 people were charged in an international firearms trafficking ring that smuggled dozens of weapons from New Hampshire into Canada via Akwesasne tribal lands.
- The operation, running from 2021 through at least October 2024, utilized a straw purchase network where Justin Jackson recruited individuals to acquire firearms from licensed dealers in New Hampshire, exploiting regulatory loopholes to supply prohibited buyers.
- Investigators traced 51 firearms through the ring, with several recovered at Canadian crime scenes including a kidnapping in Montreal, Quebec; straw buyers received $100 per gun while the Akwesasne group sold weapons for $3,000 apiece.
- Five defendants pleaded guilty to federal offenses, while four of the eight indicted Akwesasne residents were arrested on Tuesday; the remaining four—including fugitives Jonathan Hart and Io-Rateka Swamp—remain at large.
- Ontario Provincial Police official Mike Stoddart said integrated enforcement teams and "strong international partnerships" proved vital to dismantling the ring, as authorities continue addressing cross-border firearms and drug trafficking in remote corridors.
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NH US Attorney Busts Mohawk Gun Smuggling Ring
United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Erin Creegan announced a major bust of gun smugglers operating out of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, one she says put guns in the hands of violent criminals on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. “Some of those weapons were later recovered at violent crime scenes involving offenses such as kidnapping and attempted murder. The defendants allegedly treated the Northern Border as …
Guns trafficked through VT, NH and NY linked to violent crimes in Canada, prosecutors say
Dozens of firearms allegedly trafficked through Vermont and New York ended up across the Canadian border. Some were later tied to violent crimes. Here’s what federal investigators say happened.
US Attorney: 13 charged in connection with ring that trafficked guns from New Hampshire to Canada
Thirteen people are currently charged or have pleaded guilty in connection with an international gun smuggling scheme, according to the U.S. attorney for New Hampshire.
US Law Enforcement Charges 13 in Connection With Gun Trafficking Into Canada
The United States has charged 13 people for trafficking firearms from New Hampshire into Canada in a law enforcement operation that traced guns to Canadian crime scenes. “This tracking network allegedly exploited border geography and reservation corridors to move firearms into Canada while attempting to avoid law enforcement detection,” said U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Erin Creegan at a news conference in Concord, N.H. on Thursday. Court doc…
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