Three Minnesota men were caught trafficking machine guns through social media in a sting operation based in St. Cloud.
According to a recent press release, three individuals, Rafael Carter Wesley (19), Avont Akira Drayton (21), and Kyrees Darius Johnson (22), have been sentenced to prison for a duration ranging from just over one year to approximately eight years. The release also mentions that these individuals will be under supervised release upon completion of their respective sentences.
According to United States Attorney Andrew Luger, his office has been conducting an investigation on the Snapchat group known as “BLICCS&STICCS3” since 2023. The group’s members have been found to be involved in the trafficking of firearms and controlled substances to various users in the Twin Cities area.
In March of 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer initiated an operation by sharing a photo of a Glock on which Wesley expressed interest. Wesley inquired about trading it for a conversion device that could transform a gun into a fully automatic weapon, using terms like “button” or “switch.” The officer agreed to pay Wesley $1,000 for three such devices, provided the exchange took place in St. Cloud. Finally, on March 27th, the swap was successfully executed.
On April 4th and 13th, Wesley facilitated additional transactions in St. Paul and Minneapolis, respectively. To the surprise of the officers, Wesley even demonstrated the installation of an auto sear on a firearm. Johnson was present during these transactions and arranged a meeting with Drayton.
Johnson, who had been convicted of felony charges four times, was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. He utilized the group to promote the sale of fentanyl.
In May’s meeting, Drayton sold the officers a 3-D-printed auto sear for an AR-15. Six controlled buys were made between March and June 2023.
They all admitted to possessing machine guns illegally and pleaded guilty.
