Government & Politics

Officials Announce Arrests in Ohio-to-New Jersey Gun-Running Ring

Ideastream Public Media | By Joe Hernandez

Published February 15, 2018 at 7:41 PM EST

photo of chart of run running ring — Law enforcement officials in New Jersey say two Columbus men bought firearms legally in Ohio gun stores and online, then passed them off to five other men who sold them illegally in Camden. Guns seized by police included two AK-47s and an AR-15 assault ri

photo of New Jersey officials announcing arrests in gun running case — New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announces charges against seven men for allegedly trafficking guns from Ohio to sell illegally in Camden, N.J.

Prosecutors in New Jersey are charging a group of seven men with buying guns in Ohio, driving them to Camden, and selling them illegally.

State and federal authorities seized 17 firearms as part of the operation, which pales in comparison to the thousands of guns taken during gun buybacks.

But New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says these weapons run a higher risk of doing more harm.

"Here we're taking guns out of the hands of drug dealers like Eduardo Caban. We're taking guns out of the hands of people who have actually used them in shootings. A number of the guns identified and recovered in this case have been linked to actual violent crimes that happened here."

All seven of the men arrested are being charged with racketeering and could face more than a decade in state prison. Two of those accused are from Columbus.

Two AK-47s and an AR-15 assault rifle were among the guns recovered in the operation.