Two arrested for selling illegal guns in Valley Stream

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The state attorney general’s office announced on Jan. 16 that it had arrested two people in connection to a gun trafficking ring in which firearms were purchased in Pennsylvania and illegally resold in Valley Stream and New York City.

According to a news release, Tadarrell Jones and Shyrein Joseph were arrested after the pair had sold guns to an undercover police officer on five separate occasions between Sept. 27 and Nov. 1 2016, and in some cases the two had brought their underage children with them during the transactions.

State law enforcement officials said that they had recovered seven guns over the course of their investigation, including three assault rifles and 744 rounds of ammunition. Jones and Joseph were charged with 45 counts of second-degree criminal sale of a firearm, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child.

Joseph was arraigned on Jan. 18 at the Nassau County criminal court and held without bail, and according to court documents, Jones was arraigned on Nov. 28 with bail set at $150,000 in bonds or $75,000 in cash. Each face a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.

“Even though New York has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, lax gun laws in our neighboring states jeopardize our safety,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Not only did these individuals illegally traffic highly dangerous firearms through the Iron Pipeline, but they did so in the presence of their children.”