Montgomery Co Gun Trafficking Organization Busted, 5 Arrested: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — The second major gun trafficking organization in a month has been dismantled in Montgomery County, authorities announced Monday.

The group operating out of Norristown was connected to 15 "straw" purchases of firearms, which is when a third party buyer purchases a weapon for someone who cannot legally own one. This could be anyone from a convicted felon to the mentally ill to a child.

>>5 Teens, 9 Men Charged In Major Montco Gun Trafficking Bust

Five people were arrested, all of them Norristown residents: Henry Harris, 33, Lynwood Wilford Jr., 29, Jamie Winslow, 40, Jahlesia Clark, 21, and Sara Travis, 49.

The District Attorney's Office said they were able to track down the group using surveillance footage, cell phone data analysis, firearm transaction records, interviews, and a wide variety of police work.

“This is another organization that is putting guns in the hands of criminals," DA Kevin Steele said. "These illegal firearms are a significant threat to our communities and to our safety."

Five teenagers and nine men were charged following the last bust of a gun trafficking organization in Montgomery County in late September.

The five arrested individuals were charged with a wide variety of crimes including corrupt organizations, conspiracy, unlawful transfer of a firearm, receiving stolen property, and numerous related counts.

Harris, who also faces firearms charges as he is a convicted felon, had bail set at $99,000, which he did not post. He was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Bail was also set at $99,000 for Wilford, and $50,000 for the rest.

A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 2.