A Livermore Falls woman has been sentenced for buying guns in exchange for drugs.
Erin Searles, 43, appeared in federal court on Wednesday, according to the Sun Journal.
She was a straw purchaser for Abdullahi Issak, her drug dealer, buying six firearms for him in 2022, and being paid in cash and crack cocaine, according to court records.
A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have their name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for them.
Searles bought four .40-caliber Glock pistols, one 9 mm Glock pistol and one .45-caliber Glock pistol from federally licensed gun dealers in Turner from the end of June through mid-August 2022, according to the Sun Journal.
Last week, Isaak was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in an illegal gun-buying conspiracy.
On Wednesday, Searles was sentenced to three years of probation during which she is barred from having any illegal narcotics, alcohol or guns and from being with anyone who does, according to the Sun Journal.
