⏱ 2 min read
Erhan John Er, a 35-year-old former international truck driver from Sarasota, Florida, has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison for his role in an international firearms trafficking conspiracy. From February to September 2022, Er worked as a cross-border truck driver, smuggling guns from Florida to Canada. He purchased 28 guns from firearms dealers in Sarasota and Naples, Florida, and sold them to a Canadian co-conspirator for $1,000 (CAD) per gun.
Canadian investigators have since recovered 10 of those firearms from crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec, all with obliterated serial numbers. The serial numbers were restored and traced back to Er’s purchases in Florida. Er pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), including ATF’s Attachés in Ontario and Quebec and ATF’s Buffalo and Rochester, New York Field Offices, in partnership with Canadian law enforcement. The investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border partnerships in protecting communities and disrupting organized criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe stated that Er falsely claimed to gun dealers that he was buying guns for himself, only to smuggle them into Canada, where they were used in multiple crimes. The sentence brings an end to Er’s illicit gun-running operation, which put countless lives at risk in both the United States and Canada.
Related Federal Cases
- Bryan Grover Marley, Unlicensed Firearms Sales, FL 2024 · Florida
- Maquan Moore, Firearms Trafficking, New York 2024 · Florida
- Herman Fleming, Firearms Straw Purchase, FL 2017 · Florida
- Max Chambers, Machine Gun Possession, Florida 2019 · Washington
- Ellie Edward Dulaire, Firearm Possession by Felon, Florida 2024 · Alabama
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
WeaponsWeaponsWeaponsWeapons