Three men, including two Canadians, have been charged with the attempted smuggling of nearly 90 firearms into Canada, out of which 17 were reported stolen, FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said in a news release published Friday.
New York State Police initiated a traffic stop of a white Ford Explorer around May 7, after they observed the vehicle allegedly committing traffic violations while driving near Interstate 90 (I-90).
The three vehicle occupants, later identified as Malik Bromfield, 22, Faizan Ali, 25, and Kamal Salman, 22, gave the officers “inconsistent and evasive accounts” during questioning, the press release by U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York said.
Ali consented to a roadside search, during which the officer found an expired Pakistani National Driving Permit issued to an Afghan national in another name concealed on his person, authorities claim.
Shortly after, a canine unit conducted a sweep of the vehicles exterior and alerted the officers to the potential presence of narcotics, the press release said.
Officers claimed to have found an “unusually heavy” suitcase containing a large “cache” of firearms, and additional firearms in the vehicle when they conducted a preliminary search.
Bromfield and Salman are Canadian citizens, while Ali is a Pakistani national, the news release said. Salman is also a citizen of the United States, and Jordan.
All three suspects have been charged with multiple offences including smuggling from the U.S., which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, unlicensed dealing in firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, transporting stolen firearms in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, and unlawful possession of firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Bromfield has additionally been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
However, any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge, the officials said.
