NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Four men were charged in a 31-count indictment for a conspiracy to sell and traffic illegal firearms, authorities announced Thursday.
Darwin Figuera, 34, Yorman Serrano, 31, and Stefano Pachon, 21, an allegedly a high-ranking member of the Tren de Aragua gang, which originates in Venezuela along with a fourth co-conspirator were charged in the indictment.
Figuera was charged with conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon.
Serrano was charged with conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm.
Pachon was charged with conspiracy, criminal sale of a firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm.
According to police, the weapons sold include semiautomatic pistols, shotguns, rifles and ghost guns. One of the semi-automatic weapons was equipped with a "sear switch" to turn it automatic, and many were sold with large ammunition feeding devices to increase their capacity. The investigation into this alleged conduct remains ongoing.
The indictment stemmed in part from an investigation into Victor Parra, the ringleader of a cell-phone snatching ring where earlier this week, Parra pleaded guilty to grand larceny and is expected to be sentenced to two-to-six years in state prison. The evidence in that investigation contributed to the investigation of this gun trafficking conspiracy, officials said.
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, the defendants sold 11 guns between September 2024 and January 2025 on ten separate occasions. Pachon acted as the ringleader and negotiated the purchase and price for most of the weapons.
The sales occurred in multiple locations in the Bronx and at a gas station in East Harlem at East 125th Street and Second Avenue, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
According to police, the men would send information about the weapons over WhatsApp, including photos. The buyer would then come to the meet up point and provide cash in exchange for the guns.
The weapons, which authorities said appeared to be newer, high-quality firearms include:
- Four 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol each equipped with ammunition magazines
- Polymer80 9-millimeter semi-automatic ghost gun that had a magazine with the capacity for 34 rounds
- Smith & Wesson .38 special caliber revolver12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun
- Smith & Wesson .40 caliber fully-automatic pistol that had a magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds
- American Tactical 5.56x45 millimeter semi-automatic rifle equipped with ammunition magazines
- Radical 5.56x45 millimeter semi-automatic pistol with ammunition magazines
- Ruger semi-automatic pistol
“Selling illegal weapons in Manhattan is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The scourge of gun violence takes a devastating toll on our communities, and I have met with far too many heartbroken families who have lost a loved one because of illegal firearms," D.A. Bragg said. "While gun violence continues to trend downward in Manhattan, there is a lot more work to do, and we will continue to partner with the NYPD to hold people accountable who commit this type of dangerous conduct.”