The US Department of Justice has unsealed a superseding indictment against 12 defendants, including three American soldiers, who allegedly conspired to transport more than 90 guns into Chicago, Illinois from other US states, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2022) The US Department of Justice has unsealed a superseding indictment against 12 defendants, including three American soldiers, who allegedly conspired to transport more than 90 guns into Chicago, Illinois from other US states, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday.
"Today, we are announcing a superseding indictment charging 12 individuals in a conspiracy to illegally traffic over 90 guns across state lines into the city of Chicago," Garland said during a press briefing. "Many of these guns have been linked to shootings in the Chicago area in which multiple people have been injured and several killed in July 2021."
Garland recalled that in July 2021, a grand jury charged three enlisted members of the United States Army stationed at the Fort Campbell military installation in Clarksville, Tennessee, with crimes stemming from the purchase and transfer of dozens of firearms to the streets of Chicago.
The new indictment adds charges against nine additional individuals who are alleged members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in Chicago. The nine individuals are allegedly responsible for the purchase and delivery of over 90 firearms to Chicago to facilitate violent gang disputes.
The investigation into the illegal gun trafficking began following a mass shooting that took place in Chicago on March 26 last year leaving seven wounded and one person dead. Several guns recovered from the crime scene were linked to licensed firearms dealers located in other US states, according to Garland.
