Brown Ring Stole 131 Guns from Georgia Stores

ATLANTA – The grim tide of gun trafficking in Atlanta has been met with fierce action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the ATF, leading to a series of high-profile prosecutions that target the criminal networks behind the surge of firearm thefts from licensed dealers.

In a major crackdown, eight federal cases involving 32 defendants have been prosecuted in the past four months. The ATF has reported a startling increase in firearms stolen from Georgia’s federally licensed gun dealers, fueling illegal trafficking operations that span national and international boundaries.

For instance, in 2013, the ATF received reports of 25 burglaries at licensed gun dealers in Georgia with a total loss of 338 guns. By 2016, the number of reported burglaries had soared to 50, resulting in over 1,000 stolen firearms. These guns end up in the hands of convicted felons, terrorizing local communities.

U.S. Attorney John Horn condemned the illegal trafficking cycle, stating, ‘These stolen guns are trafficked all over the country as well as internationally, and are falling into the hands of convicted felons who use them to terrorize local communities.’ Straw purchasers, often unsuspecting individuals with no criminal history, are enlisted by traffickers to buy firearms on their behalf, leading them down a path of lengthy prison sentences.

ATF’s Special Agent in Charge Wayne Dixie emphasized the agency’s commitment to disrupting firearm trafficking organizations: ‘Our top priority in the Atlanta Field Division is ensuring that firearms traffickers are aggressively investigated and swiftly brought to justice.’ One such investigation led to United States v. Terry Brown, et. al., where Brown, who led a criminal ring stealing 131 guns from seven gun stores across Georgia, was sentenced to six years, six months in prison.

Other recent prosecutions include United States v. Jaleel Wulu and Javaree Williams, where the men pleaded guilty to making false statements to purchase multiple firearms from dealers in Atlanta, Sandy Springs, and Mableton, with several guns recovered at crime scenes in Maryland.