ARREST MADE IN WEAPONS TRAFFICKING
Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles “Chuck” Fiore is announcing the culmination of an undercover operation which focused on the illegal transport and sale of high-capacity firearms and magazines between the southern states of Virginia and North Carolina and Gloucester County, New Jersey.
Prosecutor Fiore stated, “I sincerely extend my appreciation to all of the GCPO personnel and partnering law enforcement agencies involved in this important investigation, as their cooperation and teamwork has made it possible for these multiple, high-capacity weapons to be kept off the street and out of the wrong hands, where they could have inflicted severe harm on the community.”
On January 22nd, multiple law enforcement agencies cooperated in arresting a weapons trafficker in Deptford Township, where he had arrived with the intent to deliver and sell several firearms. Shawn Archie Sr. (age 45), of South Hill Virginia, was arrested without incident along with his wife Tara Simmons-Archie (age 45) and Shawn Archie Jr (age 21).
Prior to the arrests on January 22, Archie Sr. had on earlier occasions traveled to New Jersey and sold high-power tactical rifles and shotguns to an undercover officer. Subsequent to the arrests on January 22, a search warrant was executed on the couple’s 2017 Chevrolet Impala, resulting in the seizure of multiple additional firearms, including a 9mm Carbine, 10 MM Carbine, AR-15 assault rifle and 9 mm handgun. In addition, the following were also seized; four 30 round AR-15 high-capacity magazines, one 40 round AR-15 high- capacity magazine, several high-capacity handgun magazines and ammunition. A total of seven firearms were recovered during the undercover operation, including two tactical AR-15 shotguns and an AR-22 rifle with a high capacity magazine.