Three men were found carrying 89 firearms intended for smuggling into Canada from the United States.
US authorities stopped a cross-border smuggling attempt when New York State Police stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation near State Route 90, on May 7. After a search, a large cache of firearms was found, most of them stolen, and none of the three occupants had any gun dealing license.
Malik Broomfield, Faizan Ali and Kamal Salman were arrested and charged with multiple counts of transporting 89 firearms, including at least 17 that were reported stolen, and attempting to smuggle those firearms into Canada.According to the court document, they are all in their 20s, and Broomfield and Salman, both 22, are Canadian citizens, while Ali, 25, is Pakistani. They were each charged with smuggling from the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; one count of unauthorized handling of firearms, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; one count of transporting stolen firearms in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and one count of illegal possession of firearms, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.“As alleged, Malik Broomfield, Faizan Ali and Kamal Salman were caught transporting more than 80 weapons, including short-barreled rifles and stolen firearms, to be smuggled out of the country,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said. “It is extremely important for New Yorkers and Americans to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminal actors. This office will continue to traffic dangerous weapons unabated.
“Aside from the cache of weapons, troopers also found nearly $3,000 in $100 bills in the glove box, FBI Special Agent Brian Jennings said.“The quantity and variety of firearms…are not at all consistent with possession of firearms for personal use, but rather consistent with transporting and trafficking firearms for sale and distribution,” Jennings said.During the inspection, the three gave inconsistent and evasive accounts. Ali agreed to a body search and the issuance of an expired Pakistani driving license to an Afghan national.The three were headed to an address near Hammond, New York, which is directly across the St. Lawrence River from Ontario, Canada, Jennings said. The car was spotted heading north on I-95 in Jupiter, Florida, the day before.
