Attorney General: Undercover Operation Foils Weapons Trafficking Ring in Newark

Six Newark men have been indicted on weapons charges following an undercover investigation recovered 10 illegally trafficked guns, including an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine and hollow-point bullets, the Attorney General's Office said.

The New Jersey State Police, which launched "Tide-Tag" last week to curb violent crime in Newark, conducted the investigation.

Issac Torres-Zambrano, 20, George Wright, 47, Asmar Speight, 31, Jabrill Lewis, 25, and Shamir Brown, 30, were each face second-degree conspiracy and weapons charges. Quadir Whitehead, 20, has been charged with third-degree conspiracy and weapons charges.

Wright, Speight and Brown also have been charged with second-degree possession of a gun as a convicted felon. Speight was also charged with first-degree possession of a weapon as a convicted felon because he was previously convicted of aggravated assault.

All six men also face various other third- and fourth-degree weapons charges.

“Gun traffickers who indiscriminately sell illegal weapons, as these men allegedly did, are directly responsible for the deadly firepower killing and maiming far too many on the streets of Newark," Acting Attorney General John Hoffman said. 

"Just last week, I announced an important new initiative in Newark—Tide-Tag— involving all levels of law enforcement to crack down on violent offenders who carry guns in public. That initiative goes hand-in-hand with aggressive investigations and prosecutions of this type which seek to cut off the supply-line of illicit weapons."

According to Hoffman, Torres-Zambrano and Wright orchestrated the illegal sales of weapons on five occasions between Sept. 11 and Oct. 2. The weapons included:

• An SKS assault rifle with an illegal high-capacity magazine
• 3 handguns, including a stolen .44-caliber revolver and two semi-automatic handguns
• Four shotguns, including a stolen double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun
• Two hunting rifles.