Feds: Two Indicted for Gun Trafficking Conspiracy at the Jersey Shore

Two men, one from New Jersey and the other from Florida, have been charged with allegedly conspiring to illegally sell guns in and around Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig says 31-year-old Manuel Espinosa-Ozoria of Bartow, FL, and 24-year-old Enrique Quijada of Freehold, NJ, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking. Espinosa-Ozoria was also charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Quijada is additionally charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States.

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According to Honig's office, Espinosa-Ozoria, Quijada, and others were members of a gun trafficking conspiracy operating in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, "in which they unlawfully obtained, possessed, and sold numerous firearms for profit," from May through September 2020.

The count of conspiracy to engage in firearms trafficking carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States each carry a sentence of up to a decade in prison and a quarter-million-dollar fine.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.