District Attorney Announces Largest Gun Trafficking Case in Orange County History

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced the success of the largest gun trafficking case in county history on Aug. 1, alongside other politicians and members of law enforcement.

The operation, dubbed Operation Powder Burn, focused on taking down an illegal gun and narcotics trafficking ring based in Newburgh, New York.

The operation resulted in firearm, narcotics, and conspiracy charges against 20 individuals. Their ages range from 22 to 60, and they live mainly in New York, with some from Pennsylvania and Georgia.

The charges’ penalties range in severity from probation to 15 to 30 years in prison. Ten of the individuals being charged are eligible for bail.

The ring revolved around a gun trafficking route moving guns between states with differing gun laws. Authorities said most of the guns were shipped from Georgia or Pennsylvania via FedEx, where they were allegedly received by the main focus of the investigation, Christopher Brown, a 40-year-old resident of Newburgh. He operated out of a closed restaurant in Newburgh, called The Kitchen, allegedly selling narcotics and firearms in and outside of the city, according to police documents.

Investigations into Brown and people connected with him started in December 2024. What began as a small narcotics investigation by the OC Drug Task Force, over the course of eight months, turned into the largest gun trafficking bust by volume of firearms involved.

Undercover officers bought a total of 55 firearms and 700 grams of cocaine and fentanyl from Brown, according to court documents. The $69,000 used to make these purchases was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The ATF also provided other resources and personnel for the investigation.

The individuals were arrested on July 30, dubbed Takedown Day. The decision to end the investigation was made after law enforcement said it intercepted messages indicating that Brown and his associates were planning to rob and potentially harm the undercover officers.

Takedown Day involved more than 20 law enforcement agencies and 300 officers in New York, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The day ended with 19 of the 20 persons of interest in the hands of law enforcement. Police confiscated 12 illegal firearms, 4 ounces of fentanyl, 0.5 kilograms of cocaine, $65,000, and a large amount of synthetic marijuana. No officers were injured in the eight-month operation.

Operation Powder Burn ended with the recovery of a total of 67 illegal guns and 1.5 kilos of cocaine and fentanyl, according to police. The guns trafficked were mostly handguns, but shotguns, rifles, and other larger firearms were also trafficked. The collection included several 3D-printed guns and a Glock handgun modified to be fully automatic.

Several of the confiscated firearms are allegedly linked to shootings, including seven shootings in New York and Vermont, according to police.

“There is enough fentanyl here on this table to kill 190,000 residents of Orange County. The 20 people on the boards to my immediate left are nothing more than merchants of death,” Hoovler said at the news conference.

He made clear that the case wasn’t about gun enthusiasts or other law-abiding gun owners; it was about people bringing guns to Orange County as part of the illegal drug trade.

Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta said the alleged crimes “weren’t isolated offenses.”

“They were part of a coordinated effort to profit off addiction and violence,” Arteta said in a statement. “Our teams, including the Special Operations Group and Drug Task Force, worked with precision and persistence to shut this network down.

“I’m proud of the role the Sheriff’s Office played in this historic case, and we remain committed to pursuing those who threaten the safety and stability of our communities.”