JERSEY SHORE – Two men have been charged with conspiring to sell illegal firearms, including several handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, in and around Monmouth and Ocean counties, officials said.
Between May 2020 through September 2020, Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria, 31, aka “Chino,” of Bartow, Florida, and Enrique Quijada, 24, aka “El Enano 13,” aka “Kike,” of Freehold, along with other members of a gun trafficking conspiracy were operating in Monmouth and Ocean counties where they unlawfully obtained, possessed and sold numerous firearms for profit, according to the indictment.
Espinosa-Ozoria and Quijada have each been charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking. Espinosa-Ozoria was also charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Quijada is additionally charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States.
The count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the FBI Tampa Division, the ATF Newark and Tampa Field Divisions, and the Freehold Borough Police Department for their assistance.
The U.S. Department of Justice launched five cross-jurisdictional strike forces in July of this year to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country.
A significant number of firearms recovered in the New York/northern New Jersey area originate from outside the area, gun trace data states. The new strike force will “help ensure sustained and focused coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors in the New York/northern New Jersey area with their counterparts in those other locations.”
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
