Brooklyn Residents Face Firearm Trafficking Charges: Brooklyn DA

BROOKLYN, NY — Three Brooklyn residents and one South Carolina man were indicted for interstate firearms trafficking Wednesday, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office announced. The four individuals—including two brothers—allegedly trafficked about 40 firearms from South Carolina to Brooklyn, and sold the weapons to an undercover office over a four-month investigation in Cypress Hills.

“The majority of guns used in Brooklyn crimes are handguns trafficked into our communities from other states with notoriously lax gun laws," Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said. "This case highlights our determination to aggressively combat gun violence and hold gun traffickers accountable."

The Brooklyn defendants were identified as Shawn Landrum, 40; Jamel Landrum, 38; and Ashley Finch, 22, of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. Dondrell Cheeks, 27, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was also charged.

Starting in June 2016 and continuing through December 1, 2016, an undercover officer allegedly purchased one to nine weapons from Shawn Landrum in front of his home at 174 Sunnyside Avenue in Cypress Hills. Shawn Landrum shares the house with his brother, Jamel, and his brother's girlfriend, Ashley. There was also at least one sale at 225 Van Siclen Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn, Gonzalez said.

The weapon prices ranged from $620 to $8,050. The defendants allegedly sold a wide variety of handguns and other weapons to the officer, including .9mm Taurus pistol, .a 38 Rossi revolver, a .9mm Smith and Wesson pistol, a .380 Bersa pistol, a .357 Smith and Wesson pistol and an SKS assault rifle, Gonzalez said.

The NYPD’s Firearm’s Investigations Unit discovered Shawn Landrum first bought the guns from Dondrell, a South Carolina gun supplier. Landrum would then return to Brooklyn with the guns to resell them for a profit, Gonzalez said.

While private firearm transfers aren't subject to background checks in South Carolina, New York requires background checks for all firearm transfers, except those between immediate family members.

Jamel Landrum is alleged to have provided financial assistance for the purchases and conducted one of the sales himself. Finch reportedly wired money via MoneyGram and Western union to Cheeks to complete the sale, according to Gonzalez.

The Landrum brothers and Finch were variously charged with first-degree criminal sale of a firearm, second-degree criminal sale of a firearm, third-degree criminal sale of a firearm, second-degree criminal possession of a firearm, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and fourth-degree conspiracy, according to the DA's office.

Shawn and Jamel Landrum were held on $500,000 bail, and defendant Ashley Finch was ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Cheeks was also arrested on charges of first-degree criminal sale of a firearm and fourth-degree conspiracy. Cheeks is currently detained in South Carolina pending extradition to Brooklyn, the DA's Office said.

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