Seven men—including three convicted felons—face federal gun charges stemming from an investigation that began last May.
Law enforcement officials say the guns-- which included machine guns-- came from several states away.
"A supply chain that brought illegal guns to Baltimore City from Tennessee has been put out of business, and suspects who tried to smuggle weapons into Baltimore are now in federal custody," U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a news release.
Rosenstein announced the charges Tuesday along with a group of other federal and local officials.
The following defendants have been charged with gun crimes in the U.S. District Court in Maryland. Five have been ordered to be detained pending trial, and the remaining two were placed on house arrest:
- Rodney Donell Henson, aka Mook, 28, of Odenton
- Antonio Darnell Ennis, aka Hawk and Peanut, 32, of Glen Burnie
- Alvin Gabriel Arciaga, 28, Brooklyn
- Delray Jamare Randall, aka Black, 34, of Odenton
- Ernest McCutcheon, aka Ernie, 32, of Baltimore
- Leopold Fosso Kengni, aka Kenny C and Kenny G, 24, of Odenton
- Leonard Eugene Goliday, aka Lenny, 43, of Laurel
Officials said at a press conference Tuesday that the defendants intended to sell the weapons to violent criminals in the city.
The investigation began in May, after authorities arrested an undocumented alien who was attempting to sell eight firearms in Baltimore City.
That investigation led to the identification of a second suspect, who brought the firearms from Tennessee and sold them in Baltimore. That seller was arrested when he illegally brought 21 guns from Tennessee to Baltimore in July.
Authorities identified customers of the seller and organized an undercover operation that eventually led them to the seven men charged this week.
Randall, McCutcheon and Goliday have felony convictions on their records,
Henson, Ennis, Arciaga and Kengni each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for possession of an unregistered machine gun. Henson, Ennis and Arciaga also face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy.
As previously convicted felons, Randall, McCutcheon and Goliday each face up to 10 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm. There is no possibility of probation or parole in the federal criminal justice system.
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