Daquan Lamont Wright, Gun Trafficking, Connecticut 2023

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Daquan Lamont Wright, 26, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced Monday to 30 months for running a shadow gun shop out of his Bridgeport home. U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden also tacked on three years of supervised release following Wright’s incarceration.

Federal investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) caught Wright red-handed in January and February of this year, making three separate controlled purchases of handguns directly from him. The operation revealed Wright was selling firearms without a license, a clear violation of federal law. A particularly damning detail emerged: one of the guns he peddled had been reported stolen in North Carolina, raising questions about the source of his illicit stock.

The ATF, along with the Connecticut State Police, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Stamford Police Departments, raided Wright’s residence on March 13, 2023. The search uncovered a Glock Model 43 handgun, ammunition, and a cache of various gun parts, further cementing the case against him. Wright had been held without bail since his arrest.

This wasn’t Wright’s first brush with the law. Court records show a prior conviction in state court for both theft of a firearm and possession with intent to sell narcotics. This previous felony conviction automatically barred him from legally possessing firearms or ammunition that had crossed state lines – a fact Wright apparently ignored while building his illegal side hustle.

Wright pleaded guilty on July 5, 2023, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a nationwide initiative focused on reducing violent crime by targeting the most dangerous offenders.

The PSN program, officials say, isn’t just about locking up criminals. It’s about a comprehensive approach, bringing together law enforcement and community organizations to address the root causes of violence and provide opportunities for rehabilitation. But in Wright’s case, a history of criminal behavior and a blatant disregard for the law left the judge with little choice but to impose a substantial prison sentence.

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