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Federal arrests in Raleigh, Maryland target alleged multistate firearms pipeline
Five people were arrested in a federal investigation into an alleged operation that moved more than 40 firearms from North Carolina to destinations including Washington, D.C., and Grenada. One arrest was made in Raleigh and four in Maryland, authorities said.
Federal authorities arrested five people Oct. 20 in connection with an alleged firearms-trafficking operation that moved guns from North Carolina to several states and the Caribbean, prosecutors said.
The arrests followed a multi-agency investigation. Four people were taken into custody in Maryland and one in Raleigh. Prosecutors identified the defendants as Brian “B” Agee, 40; Arnise Young, 33; Frank “Fatboy” Harris, 38; Antonique Whitaker, 34; and Christian Atkinson, 30. They have been federally charged in the alleged scheme; the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Authorities allege the group supplied more than 40 firearms. The guns were trafficked to Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and St. George’s, Grenada, according to investigators.
A chart presented by officials described Agee and Harris as leaders in the alleged gun-and-drug operation, Young and Whitaker as “money mules,” and Atkinson as a “straw purchaser” — someone accused of buying firearms for another person.
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle warned that investigators would pursue people who make false purchases to illegally move guns, saying such trafficking threatens the safety of communities. The investigation involved multiple agencies, though the available information did not detail the specific counts each defendant faces.