A talented undercover cop infiltrated the ranks of thieves and bought up 150 illegal guns off Brooklyn streets in a yearlong investigation.
The unidentified officer played his role so well that traffickers fought each other for his business. “This undercover officer was particularly skillful and he appeared to have money. And other people tried to undercut the original seller [and] cut their own deals,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
“Operation Phoenix,” as it was called, had the officer buying 153 weapons in 105 transactions at an average cost of $900 each. Two of those guns were connected to murders in the borough, including the murder of a teenager.
Seventeen people were arrested in the investigation – which was run jointly by the NYPD and the Brooklyn district attorney’s office. Three more suspects are being sought, officials said.
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