Man admits role in gun trafficking network

NORRISTOWN » A Philadelphia man has admitted to his role in a multi-county gun trafficking organization, specifically to purchasing multiple firearms for the network by using straw purchase schemes.

Demetrius Lo Huggins Jr., 23, of the 6300 block of North Beechwood Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, making materially

false statements and conspiracy to engage in the illegal transfer of firearms in

connection with incidents that occurred between March and August of 2020.

Judge Thomas C. Branca deferred sentencing so that

court officials can complete a background investigation report about Huggins. Branca said Huggins will remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting his sentencing hearing, tentatively set for July.

The open guilty plea means Huggins has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence. Huggins potentially faces more than a decade in prison on the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin, captain of the district attorney’s firearms unit, is prosecuting the case.

Authorities said the gun trafficking organization operated in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties.

Huggins was one of 14 people — nine adults and five juveniles — arrested in September 2020 in connection with the gun trafficking network.

According to court documents, Huggins was linked to five purchases of firearms at federally licensed gun dealers on behalf of the organization allegedly led by Rahajahi Taylor Batchelor, 19, of the 1100 block of Green Street, Norristown, Terrence Barker, 21, of Philadelphia, and Mikal Scott, 20, of the 7900 block of Rolling Green Road, Cheltenham.

The purchases were made at seven federally licensed firearm dealers in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties, authorities alleged.

Batchelor previously pleaded guilty to corrupt organization and related charges and is awaiting sentencing. Barker and Scott are still awaiting trial on corrupt organization and related charges.

Earlier this year, Anthony Jamaris McCrary, 26, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to charges he purchased 35 firearms via straw purchases at federally licensed gun dealers on behalf of the gun trafficking network led by Batchelor, Barker and Scott. McCrary is awaiting sentencing.

At the time of the arrests in September 2020, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged the organization’s “sole purpose is to make money by putting firearms in the hands of people who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns.”

A straw purchase occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. Those who are unable to legally purchase firearms include convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles and mentally ill individuals.

The organization had multiple members performing a variety of roles, including purchasing and marketing or sales of the firearms, detectives alleged.

At the time of the arrests, authorities said only a few of the firearms had been recovered, including one that was linked to a shooting incident in Cheltenham and another seized during a traffic stop of a juvenile in Abington.

The investigation began on Aug. 9, 2020, when county detectives were routinely reviewing paperwork related to multiple gun purchases by individuals and noticed McCrary’s purchases of a large number of guns from licensed dealers, according to court papers.

The following day, on Aug. 10, Norristown police responded to a shooting incident involving a 17-yearold male and a search of the residence where the shooting occurred uncovered two gun boxes that had been purchased on the day of the shooting by McCrary, who did not live at the residence. Neither gun had been reported stolen, indicating a possible straw purchase, authorities alleged.

Investigators subsequently learned that McCrary sometimes visited more than one gun store in a day and bought multiple firearms at the same time, according to court documents.

The investigation used surveillance, cellphone and social media analysis, search warrants and reviews of federal firearms forms to uncover the participants in the organization, according to court papers.

The Electronic Record of Sale system, part of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Track and Trace Initiative, was a key tool used by investigators to track the organization’s illegal firearms purchases.

The investigation was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit and the Norristown Police Department.