Brooklyn DA: 4 men indicted on slew of charges for involvement in gun trafficking ring

Four men have been indicted on a host of gun-related charges in connection with a gun trafficking ring, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
The 139-count indictment states that the guns were purchased from the South and brought into Brownsville via the I-95.
Officials say MTA subway conductor Vernal Douglas, of Flatlands, traveled frequently to South Carolina to purchase guns. Officials say the defendants are partly to blame for the surge in gun violence this summer.
City data shows that the past 28 days has seen more than 50 shooting incidents.
DA Gonzalez says the investigation dates back to last October. Gonzalez says there are wiretaps and undercover operations where officers purchased more than 40 firearms from one of the defendants. He says the gun bust is part of an effort from the Brooklyn DA's office and NYPD to combat the spike in gun violence.
"These guns fuel the violence that has hit our city so hard this pandemic," says Gonzalez.
Officials say Montoun Hart and Douglas were arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Ira Jones is awaiting extradition from Virginia, and Christopher Hodges is being sought in South Carolina.