COLUMBUS, Ohio – Federal agents arrested seven men today in connection with a conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms to Canada.
A federal grand jury charged the co-conspirators in an indictment returned on Aug. 19 and unsealed this afternoon.
According to the indictment, the defendants acquired firearms both legally and illegally, stockpiled the firearms, and smuggled them to Canada in order to re-sell them for a profit.
It is alleged the group bought guns both through private sales and through straw purchases at gun shows.
For example, in April 2019, co-conspirators allegedly caused two individuals to conduct straw purchases of four firearms at the C&E Gun Show at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.
Defendants would allegedly recruit female drivers to smuggle firearms across the border or to bring money back from Canada through promises of a free trip to Canada, payment, and access to drugs and alcohol.
In July 2018, more than $11,000 was seized by law enforcement from two of the defendants on one trip back to Ohio from Canada. Two months later, according to the indictment, more than $25,000 in cash was seized from two other defendants at the John Glenn International Airport.
The indictment details that on various occasions in 2019, individuals related to the conspiracy attempted to travel to Canada and were stopped by law enforcement. During each incident, multiple firearms were discovered in the vehicles.
In total, it is believed that the defendants conspired to smuggle more than 30 guns from Ohio to Canada from approximately July of 2018 through about the middle of 2019.
Those charged in the conspiracy include:
Name
Also Known As
Age
City of Residence
Omar Sharif Mohamed Hassan
O-Bandz
25
Columbus, Ohio
Jamil Jamal Abdalla
21
Columbus, Ohio
Mohamed Abdulkadir Mohamud
Bash
22
Columbus, Ohio
*Mohamed Abdi Hirad
Mo Trippin’, Trippin’
20
Columbus, Ohio
Abdirahim Mahmoud Dualeh
A.D.
24
Columbus, Ohio
*Shamarke Igal
Marke
24
Columbus, Ohio
Ahmed Ahmed
Seven
21
Columbus, Ohio
Abdiaziz Said Ahmed
Breezy
25
Columbus, Ohio
Ibrahim Ali
Ebey
24
Columbus, Ohio
*Mohamed Sharif Ali Mohamed
MoMo
22
Columbus, Ohio
Hussein Ahmed
23
Toronto, Canada
* Currently a fugitive
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan; United States Marshal Pete Tobin; Ohio Highway Patrol Superintendent Lt. Col. Richard Fambro; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Kelly A. Norris are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The United States Marshals Service asks anyone with information regarding the location of the fugitives to submit an anonymous tip via text message to the USMS Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team. Text keyword “SOFAST” along with your tip to 847411.
