Three men, including a Pakistani national, have been charged in the United States with trying to smuggle 89 firearms, including at least 17 that were reported stolen, from the United States to Canada, authorities said.According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the arrests followed a traffic stop conducted by New York State Police on Thursday along State Route 90.Officers became suspicious after receiving inconsistent answers from passengers during questioning, prompting a search of the vehicle, officials said. Authorities allegedly found a large quantity of firearms, including additional weapons hidden in the back seat.The defendants are Malik Bromfield, 22 years old, a Canadian citizen; Faizan Ali, 25, Pakistani national; Kamal Salman, 22 years old, is a citizen of Canada, the United States and Jordan.The three men were later brought before a federal magistrate in White Plains and ordered detained.The authorities also claimed that Ali had an expired Pakistani national driving license issued in someone else’s name.The defendant faces multiple charges, including smuggling from the United States, unlicensed dealing in firearms, transporting stolen firearms in interstate commerce, and illegal possession of firearms.
Broomfield faces an additional charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien.According to prosecutors, these charges carry a maximum prison sentence of five to 15 years, although any final sentence will be determined by the court.The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. and ATF Special Agent in Charge Brian DiGirolamo.“As alleged, the defendants were caught transporting more than 80 weapons, including short-barreled rifles and stolen firearms, to be smuggled out of the country,” Clayton said.Barnacle said the defendants, who included two foreign nationals, endangered public safety by attempting to transport weapons to Canada.DiGirolamo also warned of the threat posed by illegal firearms trafficking.The investigation involved a joint effort between NYSP Troop F’s Community Stabilization Unit, the FBI’s New York Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, authorities said.
