PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Norristown mother and son are among five people who have been arrested and charged for allegedly operating a gun trafficking ring in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Berks and Lancaster counties.
Tanisha Allen, 42, and Daveese Smith, 21, are accused of continuing to organize the ring during jail conversations while Smith was incarcerated this past February due to previous charges.
They, along with Maliqua Jack, 25 from Pottstown, Darell Smith, 25 from Philadelphia, and Donaya Williams, 22 from Philadelphia, all face felony charges of corrupt organizations and conspiracy, along with other various charges.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says that Daveese Smith and his mother discussed negotiations about illegal firearm purchases. Prosecutors say Allen accessed and tried to sell illegally-obtained guns, with her son pricing the guns and directing Allen's activities.
According to prosecutors, as Daveese Smith was on a call with Allen while in jail, Allen whispered "about scratching the numbers off," referring to serial numbers on the gun which allow for law enforcement to trace it. Often, gun traffickers attempt to make the serial number unreadable to make it harder to find the straw purchaser.
Investigators say that more than three dozen illegally purchased guns were identified in the gun ring, with members having the goal of "providing the firearms to others, some of whom were precluded from legally obtaining or possessing a firearm or were juveniles."
Authorities recovered one of the guns from a child.
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