It seems as if the criminal element in any community, has little difficulty in acquiring firearms. The vast majority firearms are often acquired illegally, and are either used in the commission of a crime, or are sold as a way of raising capital to fund other criminal activities. Usually, crimes of this sort are all too common and therefore, unless the amount of guns that are stolen or sold is exorbitantly large, people give little attention to these crimes. However, recently in Bergen County the attempted sale of seven guns proved itself to be newsworthy.
Two men, from Bergen County were arrested because, according to authorities, they were attempting to sell firearms that are believed to once have been the property of the family of the ex-dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein. Law enforcement officials received reports that these guns, which were temporarily stored in Florida, had been shipped to Jersey so that potential buyers could see them.
Included in this collection of firearms, were shotguns, magnum revolvers and semiautomatic pistols. These guns were appraised at between $250,000 $300,000. According to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, one of the reasons for their exorbitantly high value, was the fact that these weapons had many unique features. Included in these was a gold inlay, and drawings of various animals, and writing in Arabic. They also were engraved with the initials “Q.S.” something that authorities believe indicate that they belonged to the second son of Saddam Hussein. This fact was later confirmed by the US ambassador to Iraq.
The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is an experienced Bergen County Criminal Defense Firm. We have over 100 years of combined experience on staff, including over twenty-five years of prior prosecuting experience. If you or someone you know has been charged with a criminal offense like unlawful possession of a gun, kidnapping, carjacking, robbery or any other criminal offense for that matter, we can help. Please contact any one of our Bergen County Offices for a free initial consultation with any one of our eight criminal defense attorneys.