Drug trafficking operation dismantled on I-85

Lina PortmanMay 30, 2024

0 4 minutes read

An Anderson, South Carolina, man has been convicted of helping run a gun-trafficking operation that was busted along Interstate 85, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Reuben Dunn, of Anderson, Marlon Michael Bruff, of Fairburn, Ga., Ramaro Alsworth Higgins, of Los Angeles, Calif., were sentenced to federal prison for helping run the operation, which purchased firearms in several southern states and smuggled them into Canada. Bruff and Higgins were also convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Four other defendants were also convicted and sentenced in connection with this case. Evidence presented in court showed that in June 2021, an officer with the Duncan Police Department stopped a Sprinter van traveling north on Interstate 85. The DOJ said a search of the van revealed suitcases containing 73 pistols, including 39 with obliterated serial numbers. The driver of the vehicle claimed she was transporting personal protective equipment (PPE) for APA Logistics, a company owned by Bruff, which served as a front for criminal activity, according to the DOJ. Investigators said they also discovered hidden compartments in the van that contained marijuana. Bruff was driving alongside the van in a separate vehicle and was not initially arrested. During a multi-year investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), law enforcement said it learned that Bruff, Higgins, Dunn and several others were involved in a purchase scheme firearms in Georgia. , Florida and South Carolina and smuggle them across the border into Canada, where several guns have been recovered in connection with violent crimes. Investigators said members of the conspiracy also obtained marijuana from Canada, which was sold in the United States and used to finance the purchase of additional weapons. Bruff and Higgins recruited straw buyers and traveled across the United States to transport the weapons and traffic marijuana, the DOJ said. In May 2021, they were arrested in North Carolina with over 20 pounds of marijuana and over $37,000.00 in cash. The DOJ said Dunn helped the organization by acquiring firearms, which smugglers recovered from his home in Anderson, South Carolina. “South Carolina will play no role in illegal gun trafficking,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will continue to work to keep our community and neighbors safe. “Illegal firearms trafficking poses a serious threat to communities around the world,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF and our law enforcement partners continue to make preventing illegal firearm sales a top priority. Ending illegal gun sales and disrupting gun trafficking networks plays a critical role in preventing gun-related violent crime and keeping neighborhoods safe. United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Bruff to 120 months in prison, Higgins to 48 months in prison, and Dunn to 27 months in prison, with all sentences to be followed by a three-year term court-ordered surveillance. . There is no parole in the federal system.

ANDERSON, South Carolina —

An Anderson, South Carolina, man has been convicted of helping run a gun-trafficking operation that was busted along Interstate 85, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Reuben Dunn, of Anderson, Marlon Michael Bruff, of Fairburn, Ga., and Ramaro Alsworth Higgins, of Los Angeles, Calif., were sentenced to federal prison for helping run the operation, which purchased weapons from fire in several southern states and smuggled them into Canada.

Bruff and Higgins were also convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Four other defendants were also convicted and sentenced in connection with this case.

Evidence presented in court showed that in June 2021, a Duncan Police Department officer stopped a Sprinter van traveling north on Interstate 85.

The DOJ said a search of the van revealed suitcases containing 73 guns, including 39 with obliterated serial numbers.

The driver of the vehicle claimed she was transporting personal protective equipment (PPE) for APA Logistics, a company owned by Bruff, which served as a front for criminal activity, according to the DOJ.

Investigators said they also discovered hidden compartments in the van that contained marijuana. Bruff was driving alongside the van in a separate vehicle and was not initially arrested.

During a multi-year investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), law enforcement said it learned that Bruff, Higgins, Dunn and several others were involved in a purchase scheme firearms in Georgia. , Florida and South Carolina and smuggle them across the border into Canada, where several guns have been recovered in connection with violent crimes.

Investigators said members of the conspiracy also obtained marijuana from Canada, which was sold in the United States and used to finance the purchase of additional weapons.

Bruff and Higgins recruited straw buyers and traveled across the United States to transport the weapons and traffic marijuana, the DOJ said.

In May 2021, they were arrested in North Carolina with over 20 pounds of marijuana and over $37,000.00 in cash. The DOJ said Dunn helped the organization by acquiring firearms, which smugglers recovered from his home in Anderson, South Carolina.

“South Carolina will play no role in illegal gun trafficking,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will continue to work to keep our community and neighbors safe.

“Illegal firearms trafficking poses a serious threat to communities around the world,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF and our law enforcement partners continue to make preventing illegal firearm sales a top priority. Ending illegal gun sales and disrupting gun trafficking networks plays a critical role in preventing gun-related violent crime and keeping neighborhoods safe.

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Bruff to 120 months in prison, Higgins to 48 months in prison, and Dunn to 27 months in prison, with all sentences to be followed by a three-year term court-ordered surveillance. . There is no parole in the federal system.