Five Charged in Alleged Athens to Chicago Gun Trafficking Tied to Gangs

ATHENS, Ga. - U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes today announced that five people have been charged in a 23-count indictment in the Middle District of Georgia as members of an alleged firearms trafficking ring operating between Athens and Chicago providing weapons to gang members, with some of the guns linked to acts of violence-including a murder in Chicago committed by a juvenile-in this Homeland Security Task Force investigation led by ATF.

The federal indictment in Case No. 3:26-cr-00006, filed on April 15 and unsealed on June 23, charges the following individuals:

Anthony Edmond, aka "Chapo," aka "Chapo Barksdale," of Athens, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit firearms offenses; one count of conspiracy to unlawfully make, transfer and possess machineguns; seven counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm; six counts of possession of firearm by a convicted felon; one count of transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon; one count of possession of a machinegun; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms and machineguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; one count of conspiracy to traffic in stolen motor vehicles; three counts of interstate travel with intent to engage in firearms trafficking and is facing up to a maximum of life in prison.

Rafael Enriquez, aka "Ritchie Rich," aka "Ralph," of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit firearms offenses; one count of conspiracy to unlawfully make, transfer and possess machineguns; five counts of false statement during purchase of a firearm; four counts of possession of firearm by a convicted felon; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms and machineguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; one count of conspiracy to traffic in stolen motor vehicles; and three counts of interstate travel with intent to engage in firearms trafficking and is facing up to a maximum of life in prison.

Elijah Lucena, aka "Eli," aka "GMT Eli,"of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit firearms offenses; one count of false statement during purchase of a firearm; one count of possession of firearm by a convicted felon; and one count of interstate travel with intent to engage in firearms trafficking and is facing up to a maximum of ten years in prison.

Keontice Reed, aka "Manman," aka "GMT Manman,"of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit firearms offenses; one count of conspiracy to unlawfully make, transfer and possess machineguns; one count of false statement during purchase of a firearm; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; and one count of conspiracy to possess firearms and machineguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and is facing up to a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Melvin Griffin, aka "Memo600," of Snellville, Georgia, and Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit firearms offenses; one count of possession of firearm by a convicted felon; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; and one count of conspiracy to possess firearms and machineguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and is facing up to a maximum of life in prison.

The defendants have had or will have their initial appearances at times determined by the Court.

According to the indictment and other statements made in court, Edmond is allegedly a member of the Chicago-based gang known as the Black Disciples (BD) and is an associate of another Chicago-based street gang known as the Conservative Vice Lords (CVL), who was directed by the other defendants to make straw purchases of firearms from gun stores in Georgia, which were transported and distributed to criminal street gang members in the Chicago area.

From at least March 27, 2020, to Nov. 10, 2021, Edmond allegedly unlawfully purchased dozens of firearms from gun shops in Georgia for members and associates of the BD and the CVL, and between Sept. 18, 2020, to July 24, 2021, he allegedly bought at least 22 firearms in Georgia, some of which were converted into fully automatic weapons and used to commit numerous crimes of violence.

Two Glock pistols allegedly purchased by Edmond from a gun shop in Athens on May 15, 2021, and texted to Enriquez in United States v. Edmond, et al.

Each time he bought the firearms, Edmond allegedly falsified the required ATF Form 4473 by attesting that he was the true buyer and that he was not acquiring the firearms on behalf of another person.

Guns allegedly purchased by Edmond posted on Enriquez's social media account and distributed in Chicago to gang members in United States v. Edmond, et al.

During this time, Edmond made multiple trips from Georgia to Illinois to transport the firearms that he purchased in Georgia to gang members in Chicago, including to Reed, a member of a Chicago-based street gang known as the Mickey Cobras and an associate of the CVL, and to Griffin, a convicted felon, member of the BD, and an associate of the CVL. In addition, two unindicted co-conspirators who are both convicted felons-one is an upper-level member of the CVL and the other is a member of the BD-allegedly asked Enriquez and Edmond to acquire guns for them. In 2021, Enriquez and Lucena, a convicted felon and member of the CVL, allegedly made at least one trip from Illinois to Georgia to retrieve firearms purchased for them by Edmond, which were provided to criminal street gang members.

The defendants would allegedly coordinate the purchases and transfers over the phone and through social media, calling the firearms "pipes," "straps," "licks," and "blicks." They also used coded language when discussing specific gun calibers, such as referring to 10mm pistols as "dimes," .45-caliber pistols as "four nickels" or just "nickels," 5.7-caliber pistols as "fifty sevens," and 5.56-caliber pistols as "AR pistols." Edmond was allegedly supplied with machinegun conversion devices (small plastic or metal components designed to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons) by Enriquez, a convicted felon and member of the CVL, which he then installed on several Glock pistols that he distributed. They used coded terms, including referring to the Glock switches as "Nintendos" in reference to the Nintendo Switch video game system.

As alleged, at the direction of the conspirators, Edmond also purchased ammunition, extended magazines, drum magazines, and he test-fired the guns in the Athens area, including while they were converted to fully automatic functioning with the magazines inserted.

A screenshot of Edmond allegedly firing a fully automatic Glock pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device and magazine he was reportedly brokering for sale on Sept. 22, 2021, in United States v. Edmond, et al.

From April 14, 2021, to Feb. 15, 2026, police recovered 20 firearms allegedly purchased by Edmond in Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. In one example, on Oct. 6, 2021, Chicago Police Department officers recovered a Glock pistol from the bedroom of a known juvenile criminal street gang member. A forensic examination of the Glock pistol and fired cartridge casings collected from three separate crime scenes in Chicago revealed that the weapon was allegedly used in three separate violent incidents: the firearm was discharged at the scene of a murder in Chicago on June 20, 2021; the firearm was used by the juvenile to shoot and injure a rival gang member on a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus on Sept. 24, 2021; and it was fired 11 times by the juvenile on N. Drake Avenue in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2021, damaging three cars. This Glock pistol was allegedly purchased by Edmond on May 15, 2021, at a gun store in Athens, just 36 days before it was allegedly used in a murder in Chicago.

This investigation and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threaten the safety and security of the United States and its global partners. It also places a particular emphasis on criminal offenses involving children and ensures the use of all available law enforcement tools to prosecute offenders and/or facilitate the removal of criminal aliens from the United States. Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from the ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case with critical assistance from the Chicago Police Department; FBI-Atlanta; the Rockford, Illinois, Police Department; the Athens Clarke County Police Department; and other state and local law enforcement partners.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case for the Government.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.