Camden Men Charged in Latest Statewide Gun Crackdown

The State of New Jersey charged 51 defendants with gun trafficking and possession crimes, including in a pair of incidents in Camden, in a new round of indictments announced on Wednesday.

Thomas Torres, 29, and Alex Suarez Jr., 32, both of Camden, were charged on Sept. 30 with selling a rifle in Camden in May of last year. Additionally, Torres was charged with selling a handgun in Camden the previous month.

Both men are charged with third- and fourth-degree conspiracy, unlawful possession of a rifle and unlawful disposition of a rifle.

Torres was also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and fourth-degree unlawful sale of a handgun. Suarez faces an additional charge of second-degree possession of a gun by a convicted felon.

Also charged in this round of indictments was Christopher McRae, 29, of Camden, on Sept. 26 for allegedly selling three handguns and an assault rifle with a large capacity magazine between April and May of last year.

He is charged with second-degree possession of an assault rifle, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and multiple counts of unlawful possession of a handgun. He’s also charged with unlawfully selling the same kind of weapon.

All three defendants in the two alleged crimes face between five and 10 years in prison for the second-degree charges. Suarez and McRae each face five years of parole ineligibility for the possession of a gun by a convicted felon charges.

Additionally, Roscoe Holloway, 46, of Camden, and Waleed Thomas, 39, of Perth Amboy, were charged with conspiracy to sell a pistol grip, 12-gauge shotgun in Newark in January of 2012.

They were indicted on Sept. 23. They face three to five years for the conspiracy charge.

The defendants were targeted as part of an initiative launched last year by State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice to aggressively combat gun violence in the state, according to Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman. A total of 67 guns were involved in the latest statewide crackdown, conducted from Sept. 16-30.

“We are targeting those who rip apart communities by peddling murder and mayhem,” Hoffman said in a prepared statement. “We’ve bought back nearly 16,000 guns across New Jersey to ensure that unwanted guns don’t find their way into this black market. With these focused investigations, we also are taking back illegally trafficked guns that are the most likely to be used in violent crimes.”

“There are entirely too many illegal guns on the streets and in the hands of dangerous criminals, and we will continue to do everything in our power to take those guns back and to send those criminals to prison,” Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig said. “We will continue to partner with the State Police to utilize New Jersey’s tough gun laws, and to send a clear message: if you illegally traffic or possess guns in New Jersey, you will go to prison.”

Since the beginning of the year, 65 defendants have been indicted in connection with offenses involving 94 guns. Last year, 57 defendants were indicted in connection with 87 guns as a result of the initiative.

Most of the defendants are subject to the Graves Act, which requires mandatory terms of parole ineligibility of up to five years.

Most of  the investigations were conducted by the State Police Weapons Trafficking North Unit, with help from the Weapons Trafficking South Unit and other New Jersey State Police units in certain cases, officials said.