A Garland man has been arrested on federal charges out of New York alleging that he was part of a conspiracy to buy guns in Maine and send them to the Dominican Republic.
Trenton Judkins, 18, is charged with gun trafficking conspiracy, gun trafficking and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Also charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan were Elvis Guerrero and Jemyni True, both of New York City.
Judkins was arrested Friday and made his first appearance Monday in federal court in Bangor. He was not asked to enter pleas to the charges because he has not yet been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York. An appearance date in New York has not been set.
He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail. Judkins will be under house arrest and wear an ankle bracelet while released.
The investigation into the alleged conspiracy began last year, according to court documents. Dominican Republic’s President Luis Abinader, elected in 2020, cracked down on gun ownership in his country in an effort to curb violence, according to media reports.
Judkins allegedly bought an APF-15 762 caliber rifle in August and .45 caliber pistol in October in Maine. He resold the rifle to Guerrero and the pistol to True, the complaint said.
Those guns were found by Dominican Republic customs officials in a box with food and toys shipped from Brooklyn, New York, to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Information on how the trio knew each other wasn’t included in court documents; however True has a Maine driver’s license, according to the complaint.
Guerrero and True made their first court appearances last week in Manhattan. Guerrero was held without bail. True was released on $25,000 unsecured bail with strict conditions.
If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison and fines of up to five years on the gun trafficking conspiracy and the gun trafficking charges. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the conspiracy to obstruct justice charge.
