Charges in gun trail from Atlanta to Maryland

ATLANTA (WDEF) – Federal prosecutors have filed charges against 3 individuals in an Atlanta to Maryland/Washington D.C. gun pipeline.

Investigators say the defendants conspired to make faked firearm purchases in Georgia and then sold them up north.

They tracked 68 guns from dealers in North Georgia.

15 of them have been recovered by police in the Maryland/D.C. area.

Several popped up in the drug trade and some are under investigation for connections to drive-by shootings.

One pistol ended up in the hands of juvenile at a Maryland high school.

“These defendants allegedly coordinated dozens of fraudulent gun purchases in Georgia and directly or indirectly put guns in the hands of out-of-state criminals,” said U.S Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The Department of Justice is committed to fighting violent crime across the country and will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute the gun traffickers who facilitate it.”