Torrie Johnson Charged With Trafficking 25 Guns to NYC

South Carolina native Torrie Johnson, 41, of Sumter, is under federal arrest for allegedly flooding New York City with 25 illegal handguns over a four-month span. Authorities say Johnson funneled the weapons from South Carolina — where gun laws are looser — to Manhattan and the Bronx, selling them directly to an undercover NYPD detective in a sting operation that has now blown his operation wide open.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed today in the Southern District of New York, Johnson engaged in at least five separate gun sales between January 23 and May 9, 2019. The transactions spanned multiple boroughs and involved a cache of 9mm, .32, .38, .40, .45, and .380 caliber pistols and revolvers, along with hundreds of rounds of live ammunition. Each sale was allegedly conducted with the precision of a dealer feeding a city’s underground firearm market.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman didn’t mince words: “As alleged, Torrie Johnson traveled from South Carolina to sell more than two dozen firearms illegally to an undercover officer in New York in the span of less than four months.” Berman emphasized that stopping the pipeline of illegal guns into the city is critical to public safety — and arresting traffickers like Johnson is central to that mission.

ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito confirmed that Johnson transported the arsenal across state lines, calling the case a clear example of how gun trafficking fuels broader violent crime. “Thanks to the efforts of the ATF/NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, a trafficking scheme that could have put many at risk was dismantled and destroyed,” Devito said. He praised federal and local coordination as key to intercepting the flow before these guns hit the streets.

Disturbingly, the complaint reveals that on at least two occasions, the undercover officer told Johnson the weapons would be smuggled overseas for resale. Johnson continued the sales anyway. He also claimed he was working to secure a Century Arms Mini Draco AK-47 semi-automatic pistol for future sale — a weapon often linked to street violence.

Johnson now faces one count of firearms trafficking, carrying a maximum five-year sentence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The charges are merely allegations; Johnson is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Woodside Schrader of the Office’s General Crimes Unit. The takedown underscores the ongoing battle to block interstate gun pipelines feeding urban violence — and sends a message: traffickers will be hunted down, no matter where they start or how many guns they move.