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An NYPD officer has been arrested in connection with a months-long firearms trafficking investigation after he allegedly stole guns from his precinct to be sold on the street and arranged drug buys while on duty, authorities said.
Nicholas Mina was arrested late Thursday and charged with conspiracy, grand larceny and sale of a firearm, among other crimes. Information on an attorney wasn't immediately available. He and four co-conspirators who were also arrested were scheduled to be arraigned Friday.
Authorities say the group allegedly trafficked at least 10 guns over a two-month period. The alleged ringleader of the group, Ivan Chavez, is accused of procuring firearms from various sources and removing serial numbers before selling them, prosecutors said.
See the original report at NBCNewYork.com
Four additional firearms were recovered from his home when a search warrant was executed. Charges against him are pending and information on an attorney wasn't available.
Five of the firearms involved in the trafficking network allegedly came from Mina. The 31-year-old officer allegedly stole four of them from his colleagues' lockers at the Ninth Precinct station house in the East Village. The fifth was his own. Wiretaps of phones for Mina and Chavez reveal incriminating and explicit conversation about gun sales, the indictment says.
Law enforcement sources say one of the buyers was an undercover officer.
A six-year veteran of the force, Mina was part of a 24-hour security detail and had been assigned to guard the lockers after a series of thefts that included bulletproof vests, cash and an iPad along with the guns. One of the bulletproof vests Mina allegedly stole from a locker was recovered by authorities.
Jeff Siegel
Nicholas Mina in Manhattan Supreme Court. He is accused of stealing guns from fellow officers.
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Mina was arrested following an investigation by the NYPD Firearms Suppression Unit, Internal Affairs Bureau and Manhattan District Attorney's office. He allegedly confessed to investigators that he stole the guns to support his drug habit.
The district attorney's office says further charges, including drug conspiracy, are possible.
Also charged Friday were Meryl Lebowitz, 64, and Jennifer Sultan, 38. Lebowitz allegedly delivered guns and drugs for the ring. According to the indictment, she confessed to having picked up two guns that had been sold to Chavez and lived one floor below him. Investigators intercepted phone calls between the two, the indictment said.
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The indictment alleges Sultan was a gun trafficker and that she had been communicating with Chavez about providing him guns. She and Chavez allegedly engaged in extensive, daily conversation about the guns, as well as providing and selling drugs, the indictment says.
There was no information on attorneys for either of the woman charged in the indictment.
Shimon Prokupecz is WNBC's investigative producer. Jonathan Dienst is WNBC's chief investigative correspondent.
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Leave a Comment:
NYPD motto: "To Serve and Profit"
Another crooked NYC cop story. You gotta love it.
Where are the stories of the bikers and other so called bad guys
Their wearing cop uniforms!
UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!! Security guards needed in the cop shop locker room ? Now how embarrassing
is that guys ? Now the station houses need security cameras all over the building. And who's watching
the watchers?
Cops stationing cops in their own locker-room. It would be hilarious if taxpayers weren't paying the salaries of the ones doing the stealing AND the ones needed to watch for them who should have been out on the streets.
Probably getting overtime too
What a P.O.S.!!!
What MORE proof do you need about how the street criminals are getting their illegal guns.............
But yet, good law abiding citizens are put through "invasions of privacy" by these same badge wearing, gun toting THUGS just to get a CCW permit.
Nuff said........
one word, DUH!!!
C'mon,he's a hero too,-- isn't he?
needs a cape
One nypd cop busted for putting out a hit on someone who is going to testify against him and this clown who steals and sells weapons.
Serpico where the hell are you?!!!!!
His army
Is it any wonder why Bernard Keric was sent to jail. These cops are just seeing what their bosses do, which is to be crooked, corrupt, pieces of s__t!
New York's finest..., but don't be too hard on him - guns have been "vanishing" from police property rooms all over the country for decades. Everybody deserves a hobby...
Blame the gun dealers and the NRA if you want to, but don't overlook our own government and law enforcement when it comes to illegal weapons on the street.
How much money can you make stealing follow officers guns out of the locker room. Six years down the drain for a few dollars and a felony on your record. GOOD LUCK finding another job fool.
We are all screwed.
Going to be pretty diabolical if one of these police issued guns he sold kills a cop...
He should be held accountable for every gun crime committed with these stolen guns.
The evidence of cops like these think they are above the law because they are the law is piling up high.... shouldn't be to long before chit hits the fan.
Now I see why Bloomberg thinks that it's ok for police and government officials to have guns, but not the law abiding citizens. Silly me.
To protect and serve.
To protect one's own pocket book and self serving interests.
Way to go! Puting guns in the hands of the same people who may kill you at a later date. Idiot cop.
more idiots like this guy at policethugs.com. The NYPD posts are the worst..
Sorry, but I'll look up my own information. I won't be directed to a dedicated anti-cop website and expect to get unbiased information.
What a betrayal to his agency and the citizens he is supposed to be serving.
Once everything dies down he should send his resume to Holder. He'd fit right in with the Fed's Justice Department. Maybe Obama could even issue a Presidential shhhhhh decree.
The scum of the earth
This is the type of cop that needs to be buried under the courthouse. And some people want to take the guns from those of us who obey the law.
AZ what an idiotic statement. I see it's not just blacks/hispanics like you thought. My word, who would have thunkit! Right in your own back yard or should I say house. LOL
A crooked NYPD officer. Oh the horror. I am so shocked. Well, give him a month off with pay, a fine, and put him back on the beat. After all he was only doing it to feed his drug habit. Give him a break. Stealing a few guns, come on. It's the new norm for NYC. Wow, glad I have no reason to go to New York. I don't want them using me for a new re-release of Escape From New York..................Just Da**ed sickening.
A true testament to the sort of scum we have running our world! It is a complete police nation at this point, these regular joes are given an absorbent amount of power and it goes straight to there heads and in this case wallets. They are more crooked then the crooks. Im from Canada and am in disbelief with the sort of people that get that badge and gun lmao... arrogant power hungry retards. Far too common a story these days. Why is their not more emphasis on requirement? serve and protect? What a joke
Do your job and well do ours.. paying your salaries
I'm shocked.
Remember, for every foul ball caught, 10 more make it over the fence.