ATLANTA — Five Atlanta men, including a U.S./Jamaican dual citizen, have been charged with numerous offenses involving the alleged trafficking of hundreds of firearms to the Caribbean, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.
“These defendants allegedly perpetrated a multi-year crime spree in the city of Atlanta—breaking into vehicles and stealing guns—to source firearms to be smuggled out of our country, fueling violence overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
The five indicted by a federal grand jury on May 27 include Andre Lalor, a/k/a “Plug Dre,” 48, of Conyers; and Sanchaz Turner, a/k/a “Chezz,” 20; as well D’Anthony Varner, 23, Lorenzo Harris-Brown, 21, and Albert Brown, 21, all of Atlanta.
The investigation began April 2, 2025, when Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol agents at Miami International Airport found three 9mm pistols in a package containing a queen air mattress. The package was headed to to Georgetown, St. Vincent.
The package had not been declared as required by law.
One of the three handguns was reported stolen in Atlanta the month before.
A multi-agency investigation determined the stolen handgun seized at the Miami airport was one of dozens allegedly taken by Harris-Brown, Varner and Brown in metro Atlanta.
According to evidence presented in court, the guns were taken from dozens of vehicles in metro Atlanta vehicle burglaries and given to Sanchaz Turner.
Turner then allegedly contacted Andre Lalor to sell the firearms.
Text messages between Turner and Lalor were allegedly intercepted in a court-authorized search of Turner’s cell phone. The texts included photographs or descriptions of more than 350 firearms.
Lalor then allegedly tried to send guns to contacts in the Caribbean and Canada. Several of Lalor’s alleged shipments were intercepted before reaching their destinations, and authorities seized dozens of stolen weapons.
The five were charged with conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking, trafficking in firearms, possession of stolen firearms and dealing in firearms without a license.
The indictment also charged Lalor with attempted smuggling goods from the United States, failure to notify a common carrier, and failure to file electronic export information.
Lalor, Turner and Harris-Brown appeared in federal court last week following their arrests, and Brown was arraigned June 4. Varner will be arraigned later.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Commerce - Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Atlanta Police Department.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
