Lowell Man Indicted on Firearm and Ammunition Charges

BOSTON – A Lowell man was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in connection with illegal firearm and ammunition possession.

Barndol Suong, 35, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Suong was previously charged by criminal complaint on June 10, 2021 and has been detained since.

According to the charging documents, a search of Suong’s residence on June 10, 2021 led to the recovery of a .45 caliber Taurus pistol revolver, five .410 gauge, 2.5 inch cartridges stored in a latex glove next to the firearm and 15 additional rounds of the same ammunition. Suong is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to 2008 convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Kelly Richardson, Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the FBI’s Merrimack Valley Transnational Organized Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Moran and Fred Wyshak, III of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.