Texas man pleads guilty to aiding and abetting illegal weapons trafficking, including .50 Cal.

A 44-year-old Cypress resident, Nicah Anderson, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting an illegal arms trafficking racket, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Anderson, a former federal firearms licensee and majority owner of NE Guns, has admitted to a scheme in which someone arranged the purchase of at least 41 firearms from NE Guns between December 2022 and March 2023.

The individual used straw buyers to acquire the weapons, which were then quickly resold. Anderson was aware of these resales before the purchases were even arranged.

Read: Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Felon in Possession of Firearm Charge: DOJ

Firearms used in the illegal operation included high-powered weapons such as the Barret .50 caliber sniper rifles, FN SCAR 17S rifles and 9 millimeter pistols, all of which are favored by Mexican drug cartels.

“Weapons of war, including a .50 caliber rifle, walked out of Nicah Anderson’s gun store into the arms of straw buyers, and he knew it,” Hamdani said. “Investigations like this one stop illegal gun trafficking at its source. With gun violence in major cities like Houston, there is absolutely no place or tolerance for gun dealers like Anderson looking to profit from illegal straw purchases.”

A search warrant executed at NE Guns on July 19, 2023 resulted in the seizure of 266 firearms, 138,940 rounds of ammunition, seven silencers, and the store’s business records. Investigations revealed that NE Guns received $115,000 from suspected straw buyers between October 2022 and August 2023.

Read: 2 illegal immigrants convicted in Illinois after firing guns in the air “just for fun”

“This investigation is a clear example of the importance of investigating illegal gun trafficking,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Gun trafficking is a direct contributor to the gun violence we fight against every day. This defendant chose profit over helping to keep the general public safe and will be held accountable for those repeated decisions.”

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