Five Charged in Multistate North Carolina Gun Trafficking Case

Federal authorities say five people have been arrested and indicted in an alleged gun-trafficking scheme that moved about 40 firearms from North Carolina to buyers in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Grenada. The 13-count indictment includes charges of conspiracy to traffic firearms, firearms trafficking and making false statements to licensed gun dealers; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Investigators say the weapons were connected to crimes including robberies and a homicide, and that the inquiry began after a gun was recovered following a police chase in Washington. Prosecutors credited a multiagency investigation with shutting down what they described as a pipeline supplying weapons to the region.