How Illegal Gun-Running Operation In Baltimore Was Shut Down

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The story behind the story of what fueled some of the worst violence ever seen in Baltimore in the days following last spring's riots.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren with how an illegal gun-running operation managed to pump 30 weapons a week onto the streets of a city already on edge.

Hundreds of guns flooded a Baltimore reeling and exposed from the unrest after the death of Freddie Gray.

Criminals from out-of-state immediately took advantage, selling those weapons and fueling some of the bloodiest days Baltimore has ever seen.

"Gun traffickers look for communities that are vulnerable, and Baltimore was certainly vulnerable post-unrest," said Commissioner Kevin Davis, Baltimore City Police Department.

In May of 2015, just days after the riots, a ring based in Tennessee was pumping some 30 weapons every week into Baltimore. They kept coming for almost three months.

In the end, roughly 400 guns made their way onto the streets, feeding an illicit demand in a city with some of the toughest gun laws in America.

Charging documents WJZ obtained detail the weapons found down to their serial numbers and reveal a mushrooming criminal empire.

It all started with one man--illegally in the country. The feds then connected him to a second seller. It grew from there.

"There was a level of sophistication in his trafficking, when he could bring that many guns into the city every weekend and just fly under the radar," Commissioner Davis said.

The result—an increase in shootings and a surge in murders—some of the most violent months Baltimore has experienced in decades.

And even today, a number of those guns are likely still on the streets--to find their way into the hands of killers.

Some were built for warzones—extraordinarily powerful weapons—a perfect storm that created a wild west on the streets.

"We had a couple crime scenes in 2015 that we recovered 83 shell casings," said Commissioner Davis.

Hellgren: "What would someone want with a fully automatic machine gun?"

Comm. Davis: "You want to kill. Those firearms are designed to kill."

WJZ searched for the story behind the bloodshed. It took us to a motel just off the Beltway, where police busted the Tennessee ring in an undercover operation.

The motel was crawling with cops and the sting included fully automatic weapons and guns with silencers.

"The supply chain has been put out of business," said U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.

The ATF says those weapons would have likely been sold again for thousands of dollars--pure profit.

"It's all about the money," said Special Agent Bill McMullan, ATF Baltimore Field Division.

Hellgren: "How significant is that particular case?"

McMullan: "For someone to come up every week with 20 or 30 guns and get rid of them very quickly because there's a demand here… that's definitely a problem."

Even with the tough gun laws in Maryland, possessing an illegal firearm is only a misdemeanor.

The commissioner says the legislature needs to make it a felony.