Montgomery County man charged with trafficking guns used in crimes
Six of the weapons ended in up in criminal hands in New York City.
A Montgomery County man has been arrested for allegedly trafficking in illegal guns that were later used in crimes, the District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Alfred Lawrence Dukes, 46, of East Wood Street in Norristown, is charged with 18 counts of the illegal sale or transfer of firearms. He was remanded to the Montgomery County jail after failing to post$350,000 cash bail. His preliminary hearing is set for May 10 in district court.
According to public records, Montgomery County along with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) opened an investigation after four gun registered to Dukes were seized in a Bronx, N.Y., criminal investigation. Dukes had never reported the weapons missing or stolen.
In total, investigators found that Dukes bought 19 weapons between 2009 and 2016 from licensed gun shops in Montgomery County.
When questioned by investigators, Dukes said he kept all the guns in one box and he was not aware they were missing until contacted by authorities. Investigators noted that some of the weapons had already been seized by police when Dukes purchased others to add to the collection in his box, according to public records.
Nine of the weapons were seized in separate crimes – six in the Bronx, one in Suffolk County, N.Y., and two in Norristown, according to public records. All but one were handguns.
"Dukes bought these guns in Montgomery County and got them in the hand of criminals from New York to Norristown who were not legally allowed to buy or possess firearms," District Attorney Kevin Steele said in statement.
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