District Attorney’s Office Announces Largest Gun Trafficking Case In County History

Authored by Oliver Mantyk via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

On Aug. 1, District Attorney David Hoovler gave a press conference along with other politicians and members of law enforcement on the success of the largest gun trafficking case in county history.

The operation, dubbed Operation Powder Burn, focused on taking down an illegal gun and narcotics trafficking ring based in Newburgh.

The operation resulted in firearm, narcotics, and conspiracy charges against 20 individuals. Their ages range from 22 to 60, and they live mainly in New York, with some in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

The severity of the charges range from probation to 15 to 30 years in prison.

Ten of the individuals being charged are bail-eligible.

The trafficking revolved around an “Iron Pipeline,” a gun trafficking route moving guns between states with differing gun laws. Most of the guns were shipped from Georgia or Pennsylvania via FedEx, where they were allegedly received by the investigation’s main focus, Christopher Brown, a 40-year-old resident of Newburgh. He operated out of a closed restaurant in Newburgh called The Kitchen, allegedly selling narcotics and firearms in and outside of the city.

Investigations into Brown and people connected to him started in December 2024. What began as a small narcotics investigation by the OC Drug Task Force, over the course of eight months, turned into the largest gun trafficking bust by volume of firearms involved.

Undercover officers bought a total of 55 firearms and 700 grams of cocaine and fentanyl from Brown. The $69,000 used to make these purchases was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The ATF also provided other resources and personnel for the investigation.

The individuals were arrested on July 30, which was dubbed “Takedown Day.” The decision to end the investigation came after law enforcement intercepted messages indicating that Brown and his associates were planning on robbing and doing potential harm to the undercover officers.

Takedown Day involved more than 20 law enforcement agencies and 300 officers in New York, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The day ended with 19 of the 20 persons of interest in the hands of law enforcement. On Takedown Day, 12 illegal firearms, 4 ounces of fentanyl, 0.5 kilograms of cocaine, and $65,000 were confiscated. A large amount of synthetic marijuana was also taken by law enforcement. No officers were injured in the eight-month operation.

Operation Powder Burn ended with the recovery of a total of 67 illegal guns and 1.5 kilos of cocaine and fentanyl. The guns trafficked were mostly handguns, but shotguns, rifles, and other larger firearms were also trafficked. The collection included several 3D-printed guns and a Glock handgun modified to be fully automatic. That is the only known automatic weapon among the confiscated guns. The guns and narcotics were on display at the conference.

Several of the confiscated firearms are allegedly linked to shootings, including seven shootings in New York and Vermont.

Hoovler said at the conference, “There is enough fentanyl here on this table to kill 190,000 residents of Orange County. The 20 people on the boards to my immediate left are nothing more than merchants of death.”

Hoovler also wanted people to be clear that this case wasn’t about gun enthusiasts or other law-abiding gun owners; it was about people bringing guns to OC as part of the illegal drug trade.

Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta said in a press release, “These weren’t isolated offenses; they were part of a coordinated effort to profit off addiction and violence. Our teams, including the Special Operations Group and Drug Task Force, worked with precision and persistence to shut this network down. I’m proud of the role the Sheriff’s Office played in this historic case, and we remain committed to pursuing those who threaten the safety and stability of our communities.”