Erhan John Er, Firearms Trafficking, Florida 2022

Tampa, Florida – In a shocking case of international gun trafficking, Erhan John Er (35, Sarasota) has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison for conspiring to traffic guns purchased in Florida and found at Canadian crime scenes.

According to court documents, from February to September 2022, Er worked as a cross-border truck driver, based in Sarasota. Er agreed to purchase firearms for a Canadian co-conspirator and smuggle those firearms into Canada.

In July and September 2022, Er bought a total of 28 guns from firearms dealers in Sarasota and Naples, Florida. He took the firearms across the Canadian border and sold them to his conspirator in exchange for his expenses and $1,000 (CAD) per gun.

Canadian investigators have since recovered 10 of those firearms from crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec. All of the firearms recovered thus far have had obliterated serial numbers. Investigators have restored the serial numbers and traced them back to Er’s purchases in Florida.

“Er falsely claimed to gun dealers that he was buying guns for himself, only to smuggle the guns into Canada, where they were used in multiple crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Kehoe. “Working together with our local, federal, and international partners, this scheme was uncovered and Er has been brought to justice.”

Er pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border partnerships in protecting our communities.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including ATF’s Attachés in Ontario and Quebec and ATF’s Buffalo and Rochester, New York Field Offices; Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Toronto Attaché; with the assistance of the Office of International Affairs; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Canada Border Services Agency; the Durham Regional Police Service; the Halton Regional Police Service; the Hamilton Police Service; Ontario Provincial Police; the Sûreté du Québec; the Thunder Bay Police Service; the Toronto Police Service; the York Regional Police; the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office; and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.

The defendant, Erhan John Er, faces federal prison time for his role in the international firearms trafficking conspiracy. The exact date of the crime was from February to September 2022.

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