NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Brooklyn woman was charged in a five-count indictment for allegedly conspiring to traffic 18 guns to the borough, and for selling drugs, the DOJ announced.
Ariana Charles, 28, was charged under the gun trafficking provisions outlined in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, enacted by the federal government in June 2022. She was also hit with three narcotics-related charges, and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
The defendant personally sold guns to an undercover cop in and around NYCHA’s Breukelen Houses in Canarsie, with additional sales in shopping center parking lots and outside apartment buildings, according to the indictment and court documents.
Several of the guns were bought in Virginia and Georgia before being transported to New York City, prosecutors said.
The undercover officer told Charles that he was a drug dealer and was going to resell some of the guns and drugs provided to him. In a message between the officer and Charles, he stated that he would “flip” the guns.
Among the guns sold, one had a defaced serial number, making it difficult to trace, and others were semi-automatic rifles, officials said.
Authorities said Charles allegedly sold drugs too, including crack cocaine and fentanyl, with the fentanyl disguised as Oxycodone pills.
“As alleged, the defendant brazenly trafficked firearms and deadly drugs to the streets of Brooklyn, feeding the cycle of gun violence and drug abuse endangering our community,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said.
The defendant was arraigned at 2 p.m. on Thursday, and Charles is being represented by CJA Attorney Matthew Kluger.
“Today’s indictment underscores the destructive threat that illegal guns and drugs continue to pose on the streets of New York City, as well as our unwavering commitment to delivering public safety and improving quality of life in every community,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.