A college student originally from New York City has been indicted on over 300 gun-related charges, accused of trafficking firearms into the Big Apple and illegally selling dozens of weapons to an undercover officer, according to prosecutors.
Shakor Rodriguez, a 23-year-old Bronx native studying at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, was hit with 304 counts in two indictments, including charges of criminal sale of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm, the Bronx District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday.
Rodriguez allegedly brought the weapons and high-capacity magazines to New York from the South, stuffing the guns in duffle bags and sometimes traveling by bus from Tennessee with them, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said.
Rodriguez also allegedly sold an undercover officer 73 firearms, 59 of which were loaded, and over 40 high-capacity magazines from July 17, 2020, to December 22, 2021, according to a news release.
The undercover officer paid between $1,000 and $1,500 per gun.
Rodriguez allegedly sold most of the weapons near his former home in the Bronx as well as multiple sales on Allen Street in Manhattan, prosecutors said.
Officials are still investigating how he obtained the guns and where they were purchased.
According to school records, Rodriguez made the Dean’s List for the fall 2020 semester at Austin Peay State University, meaning he had a GPA of 3.5 of higher.
The school said Rodriguez was enrolled for the spring semester, which is currently in session, but it could not comment on the ongoing investigation.
He was arrested Dec. 22 following the investigation dubbed “Operation Overnight Express,” conducted by the NYPD Firearms Investigations Unit and the Bronx District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau.
“The NYPD worked diligently to intercept these deadly weapons before they hit our streets. Bronxites are dying from gunfire and we cannot tolerate one more illegal gun in our community,” Clark said in a statement.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said stopping traffickers is a priority in tackling gun violence in the city.
“Stopping traffickers who flood our streets with illegal guns is mission critical in our work to smash the Iron Pipeline,” she said. “The NYPD’s officers, working with their prosecutorial partners in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, are the first line of defense in protecting our residents, our families, and our children from the scourge of gun violence and I commend their work in this important case.”
Rodriguez was arraigned Dec. 23 on 225 counts, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to court records.
He was arraigned Monday on 79 counts, including criminal sale of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition, before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Albert Lorenzo.
He was remanded and his next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 31.
His attorney did not immediately reply to a request for comment from NBC News.
His arrest comes as New York City cracks down on the flow of illegal guns.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul detailed plans to address gun violence in a news conference Wednesday, citing improved gun tracing and a focus on gun trafficking and violence disruption programs.